English 367.

02
Autumn 2010
Denney 0268
Tues & Thurs
7:30-9:18 am

Blake Wilder
wilder.75@osu.edu
Denney 513
Office hours: Monday 9:00-11:00
& Wednesday 1:00-2:00pm

English 367.02: Literatures in the U.S. Experience:

Race, Violence, and Cultural Conflict in American Literature
Course Description and Goals
The primary goals of this course are to sharpen expository writing and critical thinking skills through
analysis of fiction and non-fiction about the experience of living in America, especially cultural conflicts
that arise from points of difference. The learning objectives of classroom activities and student
assignments are guided by several important principles:
reading and writing are related activities
readers bring a wealth of previously acquired knowledge to bear on a given text
every issue can be understood from a range of perspectives and through a variety of methods
every writer has something to contribute to this range of responses
To recognize these points of connection and to reflect on them enables students to better understand their
own cognitive processes and compositional strategies.
Our class text, Crossing Cultures, will construe cultural differences broadly, and students will be
encouraged to explore all the possibilities of cultural identities in their writings. However, the fiction
selected for the course will predominantly focus on issues of race and violence concerning African
Americans in U.S. history in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the publication of Harper Lees To
Kill A Mockingbird. This concentrated focus will provide the common ground for discussions to explore
the relationship between reading and writing as well as strategies for understanding and representing
diversity. The subjects covered will often present us with difficult questions and few easy answers. This
will enable us to focus on developing, supporting, and communicating arguments, but will also require
that everyone is mature and respectful. Some questions that we will consider will be: How is ones
understanding of race shaped by language? What is the relation between cultural differences and
motivations for violence? How might language enact or support violence? How might language be used
to counteract violence or various forms of cultural discrimination?
English 367.02 satisfies the universitys GEC requirements for a Second Writing Course and for Social
Diversity in the US. Consequently, this course will incorporate the following learning objectives:
Through critical analysis, discussion, and writing, students extend their ability to read carefully
and express ideas effectively.
Students further develop basic skills in expository writing and oral expression.
Students develop skills in effective communication and in accessing and using information
analytically.

Students describe the roles of such categories as race, gender, class, ethnicity and religion in the
pluralistic institutions and cultures of the United States.
Students recognize the role of social diversity in shaping their own attitudes and values regarding
appreciation, tolerance, and equality of others.

Students with disabilities that have been certified by

the Office for Disability Services will be appropriately
accommodated, and should inform the instructor as
soon as possible of their needs. The Office for
Disability Services is located in 150 Pomerene Hall,
1760 Neil Avenue; telephone 292-3307, TDD 2920901; OSU Office for disability Services.
Policies:
Attendance: This class will depend heavily upon class discussion and participation. Moreover, frequent
due dates and writing activities mean that every class will be closely tied to an assignment. Come
to class on time every day prepared to participate. After the first week, each unexcused absence
will lower your participation grade by a third (i.e., from B to B- or from B- to C+). Excused
absence includes participation in a university-sponsored event or documented illness.
Tardiness is disruptive to the classroom environment and prevents you from fully participating in group
activities. Being more than half-an-hour late will count as an absence, and habitual tardiness
(even if only 5-10 minutes) may also lower your participation grade.
Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct is the representation of anothers works or ideas as ones own; it
includes the unacknowledged word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another persons work,
and/or the unacknowledged use of another persons ideas. It is the responsibility of the
Committee on Academic Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures for the investigation
of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term academic misconduct includes
all forms of student academic misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but not limited to,
cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with examinations. Instructors shall
report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee (Faculty Rule 3335-5-487).
For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct. Academic Misconduct (rule 333531-02) is defined as any activity which tends to compromise the academic integrity of the
institution, or subvert the educational process. Please refer to rule 3335-31-02 in the student
code of conduct for examples of academic misconduct.

Writing Assistance:
The Writing Center (located in 458 Mendenhall Lab; phone 614-688-5883) provides one-on-one
tutorials, writing resources, and handouts to help students improve their writing.
The Ombudsman of the Writing Programs: Matthew Cariello, mediates conflicts between students and
teachers in English 367. His Autumn 2010 walk-in office hours in Denney Hall 412 are Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday 1-3; other times are available by appointment. He can also be reached at
cariello.1@osu.edu and 292-5778. All conversations with the Ombudsman are confidential.

Course Texts and Materials:

Knepler, Annie et. al., Crossing Cultures: Readings for Composition
Haper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
(the following short stories will be available on Carmen)
Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Lynching of Jube Benson (1904)
Jean Toomer, Blood-Burning Moon (1923)
Zora Neale Hurston, Sweat (1926)
Ralph Ellsion, The Birthmark (1941)
William Faulkner, Pantaloon in Black (1942)
James Baldwin, Going to Meet the Man (1965)

Assignments:
Writers (b)log
Comparative paper
Final essay
Source annotation and research conference
Participation

30%
15%
25%
10%
20%

Writers (b)log:
(10 entries @300 words, every week)
The writers (b)log will be an ongoing and multi-step process designed to help you practice organizing
your writing, explore different ways to express a point-of-view, write with an audience in mind, and
practice revision.
Step 1: After reading the assigned essays from Crossing Cultures, you will select one of the
suggested prompts. There will be one to three options available depending on the week. You will
write a rough-draft response by hand in your journal notebook. Your entry should be
approximately 300 words minimum.
Step 2: You will bring your journal notebook with you to class on Tuesday (this will happen
every Tuesday). The class will exchange notebooks, and you will receive feedback from two to
three of your peers.
Step 3: Using the feedback from your peers, you will revise your original entry. You will publish
the polished version of at least 300 words on your individual blog by midnight Thursday every
week.
Step 4: You will read through all the published blogs, commenting on at least three and voting for
one as Blog of the Week. You will complete this step by midnight Sunday.
Step 5: First thing on Tuesday, we will discuss the winner of Blog of the Week in class,
focusing on why people voted for it and what was most successful. We will then move on to step
2 for your next entry.
As you can see, The writers (b)log will an ongoing and overlapping process. It will be crucial for you to
stay organized and on top of each step. No single step is excessively challenging, but they will become
overwhelming if they pile up.
Short Comparative paper:
(3-4 pages, Tuesday October 19th)
The short comparative paper will require that you balance analyses of two separate primary sources while
also developing some sort of claim in your own voice. You will have a choice of several comparative
prompt questions from Crossing Cultures. While the specific topic will vary based on your choice, you
will need to be aware of your primary sources as communicative acts engaging audiences and be able to
call attention to the rhetorical similarities and/or differences that foreground the authors motivation and

goals. Additionally, your writing should demonstrate an awareness of your own audience and evidence
that you chose your rhetorical strategies accordingly.
Final essay:
(7-8 pages, Thursday December 9th)
The final essay will draw on the comparative and analytical skills developed throughout the quarter. In
order to develop a thoughtful and original analysis of To Kill A Mockingbird, you will conduct scholarly
research and also chose a second literary text as a point of comparison/contrast. You may choose one of
the short stories that we read as a class or one from the following list:
Joel Chandler Harris, Wheres Duncan?
Charles W. Chesnutt, Daves Neckliss
Kate Chopin Desirees Baby
Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Tragedy at Three Forks
Ralph Ellison, Party Down at the Square
Thomas Wolfe, The Child by Tiger
Jean Toomer, Becky
William Faulkner, Dry September
For the scholarly research portion of the final essay you will find and annotate two critical articles dealing
with some aspect of To Kill a Mockingbird or your other primary work of literature (Due November
16th). Additionally, you will be required to schedule and attend a conference to discuss your choice of
texts and criticism and the possible angles for your final essay. Conferences will be scheduled during the
week of the 15th through the 19th.
Participation:
(Always!!)
Your participation grade will be based on completing the readings and being prepared for class
discussions as well as your active involvement in the peer-review and editing process that will be a major
part of this class.

Schedule:
The following is a tentative schedule of readings and writing assignments. Depending on the pace of the
class, certain selections may be moved or omitted. All titles with page numbers in parenthesis refer to
Crossing Cultures.
Day/Date

Reading discussed

Writing Due

Tu 9/28

Crossing Culture Introduction (1-10),

One Mans Kids (61-64),
The Meaning of a Word (337-340)

Writers (b)log Option: p. 64 #9 or #11 or p.

340 #10

Th 9/30

"Proud to Work for the University" (159165)

Tu 10/5

"Living in Two Worlds" (104-107)

Th 10/7

Cancelled for alternate movie day

Tu 10/12

"Indian Education" (65-71)

"Graduation" (72-82)

Th 9/23

Writers (b)log Option: p. 107 #9 or #10

Writers (b)log Option: p. 71 #16 or p.82 #10

Th 10/14

Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Lynching of

Jube Benson
Jean Toomer, Blood-Burning Moon

Tu 10/19

"Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper"

(203-204)

Writers (b)log Option: p. 204 #6

SHORT COMPARATIVE Paper Due

Th 10/21

Tu 10/ 26

Barak Obama's "A More Perfect Union"

(Carmen)
"The People in Me" (210-213)
"Black Like Them" (292-303)
Zora Neale Hurston, Sweat
"Girlhood Among Ghosts" (23-27)

Writers (b)log Option: p. 27 #8 or #9

Th 10/28

William Faulkner, Pantaloon in Black

Ralph Ellsion, The Birthmark

Tu 11/2

"No Kinda Sense" (108-120)

"To Live in the Borderlands means
you" (332-334)

Th 11/4

James Baldwin, Going to Meet the Man

Tu 11/9

Haper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

"In Response to Executive Order" (304305)

Th 11/11

Cancelled for Veteran's Day

Tu 11/16

Haper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird"I Learn

What I Am" (272-277)

Writers (b)log Option: p. 120 #17 or #18 or p.

334 #10

Writers (b)log Option: p. 305 #305

Writers (b)log Option: p. 277 #14 or #15

ANNOTATED SOURES DUE

Th 11/18

Haper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Tu 11/23

Haper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

"Class Poem" (121-124)

Th 11/25

Cancelled for Thanksgiving

Tu 11/30

"Why We Tell Stories" (382-384)

Writers (b)log Option: p. 124 #7, #8, or #9

Writers (b)log Option: p. 384 #4 or #5

Th 12/2