Course Description
A comparative study of ethnic literatures in the United States, including African-American, Arabic-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Jewish-American, and Native-American literatures.
Athena Title
Comparative Ethnic Amer Lit
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in CMLT 2510H
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will gain knowledge of the various ethnic cultural traditions in the United States as exhibited in their literatures. They will become familiar with the history of different immigrant groups, the varied problems of assimilation encountered by diverse populations in different eras, the linguistic issues specific to each ethnic group, and the modifications in source culture values that each group experiences during the process of assimilation. Students will also learn to analyze individual literary works, identifying thematic, stylistic, and generic elements and interpreting the work within its social, historical and aesthetic context. Finally, students will improve their skills in expository writing by composing three analytic essays during the semester.
Topical Outline
The following is a sample syllabus. Specific works treated will vary with the instructor. Week One: The African-American Experience Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, Narrative (Norton Anthology) Week Two: Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston (Norton Anthology) Week Three: Ishmael Reed, Maya Angelou, Rita Dove (Norton Anthology) Week Four: The Latino-Experience Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima Week Five: Cristina Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban Week Six: Velez, Bus Stops, and stories by Pi¤ero, Cisneros, Hijuelos and Cofer (Latino Reader) Week Seven: The Asian-American Experience Maxine Hong Kingston, The Warrior Woman Week Eight: John Okada, No-No Boy Week Nine: Stories from Charlie Chan Is Dead Week Ten: The Jewish-American Experience Abraham Cahan, The Imported Bride Week Eleven: Isaac Bashevis Singer, Collected Stories Week Twelve: The Native-American Experience N. Scott Momaday, In the Presence of the Sun Week Thirteen: Joy Harjo, She Had Some Horses, Stories from The Remembered Earth Week Fourteen: The Arab-American Experience Grape Leaves: A Century of Arab American Poetry Week Fifteen: Nehid Rachlin, Veils Texts: Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay. Norton Anthology of African American Literature Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima Garcia, Cristina. Dreaming in Cuban Velez, Manuel. Bus Stops and Other Poems Augenbraum, Harold, and Margarite Fern ndez Olmos, eds. The Latino Reader Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Warrior Woman Hagedorn, Jessica, ed. Charlie Chan Is Dead Okada, John. No-No Boy Singer, Isaac Bashevis. Collected Stories Cahan, Abraham. The Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories Momaday, N. Scott. In the Presence of the Sun Harjo, Joy. She Had Some Horses Hobson, Geary. The Remembered Earth: An Anthology of Contemporary Native American Literature. Orfalea, Gregory, and Sharif Elmusa. Grape Leaves: A Century of Arab American Poetry Rachlin, Nehid. Veils. Requirements: Three expository papers (5 pages) One mid-term examination One final examination
General Education Core
CORE IV: Humanities and the ArtsSyllabus