Students will gain awareness of the major genres, authors, and themes of early American literature. They will be encouraged to think of the field in transatlantic and hemispheric terms and will formulate an understanding of the field that is informed by early Native American, African diasporic and African American, and Euro-American literary traditions. Students will master concepts of colonialism, imperialism, and revolution, as they manifest in literary history.

Students will also develop the ability to think critically, argue persuasively, and write compellingly. At the end of the course, students will be able to discuss the assigned works and the movements they represent with sophistication and they will be able to study other works from the period independently with a proper sense of their context and import.

The choice and sequence of topics will vary from instructor to instructor and semester to semester. The topics will consist of selected works by various authors, to be read outside of class and discussed in class, examined individually and comparatively in the context of the times and the circumstances of their composition and reception. Students will periodically perform a number of graded tasks, including tests, papers, and creative projects. 

Sample Topics Include the Following: 

Early Native American Literature
European Literatures of Colonization
Early Caribbean Literature
Slavery, African Diasporic, and Early African American Literature
Gender and Sexuality in Early America
Piracy, Mutiny, and Maritime Rebellion
Hemispheric Revolutions

Students in this course are expected to be familiar
with and adhere to the University of Georgia policy on academic honesty,
according to which all violations of academic honesty will be handled.
Students may participate in graded group projects at the instructor's
discretion.