| Study programme competencies |
| Code | Study programme competences |
| A1 | Coñecer e aplicar os métodos e as técnicas de análise lingüística e literaria. |
| A2 | Saber analizar e comentar textos e discursos literarios e non literarios utilizando apropiadamente as técnicas de análise textual. |
| A3 | Coñecer as correntes teóricas da lingüística e da ciencia literaria. |
| A6 | Ter un dominio instrumental avanzado oral e escrito da lingua inglesa. |
| A9 | Elaborar textos orais e escritos de diferente tipo en lingua galega, española e inglesa. |
| A10 | Ter capacidade para avaliar criticamente o estilo dun texto e para formular propostas alternativas e correccións. |
| A14 | Ser capaz para identificar problemas e temas de investigación no ámbito dos estudos lingüísticos e literarios e interrelacionar os distintos aspectos destes estudos. |
| A15 | Ser capaz de aplicar os coñecementos lingüísticos e literarios á práctica. |
| A16 | Ter un coñecemento avanzado das literaturas en lingua inglesa. |
| A17 | Coñecer a historia e a cultura das comunidades anglófonas. |
| A18 | Dominar a gramática da lingua inglesa. |
| A19 | Coñecer a situación sociolingüística da lingua inglesa. |
| B1 | Utilizar os recursos bibliográficos, as bases de datos e as ferramentas de busca de información. |
| B3 | Adquirir capacidade de autoformación. |
| B4 | Ser capaz de comunicarse de maneira efectiva en calquera contorno. |
| B5 | Relacionar os coñecementos cos doutras áreas e disciplinas. |
| B6 | Ter capacidade de organizar o traballo, planificar e xestionar o tempo e resolver problemas de forma efectiva. |
| B7 | Ter capacidade de análise e síntese, de valorar criticamente o coñecemento e de exercer o pensamento crítico. |
| B8 | Apreciar a diversidade. |
| B10 | Comportarse con ética e responsabilidade social como cidadán/á e profesional. |
| C2 | Dominar a expresión e a comprensión de forma oral e escrita dun idioma estranxeiro. |
| C4 | Desenvolverse para o exercicio dunha cidadanía aberta, culta, crítica, comprometida, democrática e solidaria, capaz de analizar a realidade, diagnosticar problemas, formular e implantar solucións baseadas no coñecemento e orientadas ao ben común. |
| C7 | Asumir como profesional e cidadán a importancia da aprendizaxe ao longo da vida. |
| Learning aims | |||
| Learning outcomes | Study programme competences | ||
| A1 A2 A6 A10 A14 A15 A16 A18 |
B1 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B10 |
C2 C4 C7 |
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| A1 A2 A3 A6 A15 A16 A17 A18 |
B3 B5 B7 B8 |
C2 |
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| A1 A2 A3 A6 A15 A16 A17 A18 A19 |
B3 B4 B5 B7 B8 B10 |
C2 |
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| Special attention will be paid for evaluation purposes to the student's ability to read closely and analyse critically, creatively and in an informed manner the set readings. Emphasis is placed on the development of one's writing skills through the articulation of personal and coherent responses to one's reading. | A1 A2 A6 A9 A10 A15 A16 A18 |
B1 B5 B7 |
C2 |
| Contents |
| Topic | Sub-topic |
1. Literature of the (Pre-)Colonial and Republican periods: 1620-1820 |
INTRODUCTION to the historical and literary context: The Native Americans as The First Peoples; Pilgrims’ arrival; Puritan religion; interethnic and other fights (e.g. Salem’s “witch hunt”); etc. 1.1. NATIVE-AMERICAN ORATURE (selected stories) 1.2. HISTORICAL ESSAY: John Smith: General History of Virginia (1624) (selected fragments) 1.3. POETRY (I): Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) 1.4. CAPTIVITY NARRATIVE: Mary Rowlandson: A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (1682) (selected fragments) 1.5. DECLARATION (I): Thomas Jefferson et al.: “The Declaration of Independence” (1776) |
2. Romanticism and beyond: 1820-1865 |
2.1. HISTORICAL NOVEL (I): Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlett Letter (selected chapters) (1850) 2.2. THE GOTHIC STORY (I): Edgar Allan Poe: “The Black Cat” (1843) 2.3. SLAVE NARRATIVE: Frederick Douglass: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (selected fragments) (1845) 2.4. DECLARATION (II): Elizabeth Cady Stanton et al.: “The Declaration of Sentiments” (1848); Sojourner Truth: “Ain’t I a Woman” (1851) |
3. Realism and beyond (1865-) |
3.1. HISTORICAL NOVEL (II): Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (selected chapters) (1884) 3.2. POETRY (II): Walt Whitman (1819-1892) 3.3. POETRY (III): Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) 3.4. THE GOTHIC STORY (II): Charlotte Perkins Gilman: “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892) |
| Planning | ||||
| Methodologies / tests | Competencies | Ordinary class hours | Student’s personal work hours | Total hours |
| Workbook | A1 A2 A6 A10 A18 B3 C4 C7 | 0 | 40 | 40 |
| Oral presentation | A6 A9 A15 B1 B3 B4 B6 B8 B10 C2 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| Seminar | A3 A9 A14 A16 A17 A18 A19 B7 B8 B10 C4 | 21 | 17 | 38 |
| Workshop | A1 A2 A6 A15 A16 A18 B4 B7 B8 B10 C2 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Long answer / essay questions | A1 A2 A3 A6 A15 A16 A18 B6 B8 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Directed discussion | A6 A10 B4 B5 B7 B8 B10 C2 C4 | 15 | 9 | 24 |
| Personalized attention | 7 | 0 | 7 | |
| (*)The information in the planning table is for guidance only and does not take into account the heterogeneity of the students. | ||||
| Methodologies |
| Methodologies | Description |
| Workbook | Reading and analysis by students of primary texts and selected critical bibliography. |
| Oral presentation | Intervención inherente aos procesos de ensino-aprendizaxe baseada na exposición verbal a través da que o alumnado e profesorado interactúan dun modo ordenado, propoñendo cuestións, facendo aclaracións e expoñendo temas, traballos, conceptos, feitos ou principios de forma dinámica. |
| Seminar | Técnica de traballo en grupo que ten como finalidade o estudo intensivo dun tema. Caracterízase pola discusión, a participación, a elaboración de documentos e as conclusións ás que teñen que chegar todos os compoñentes do seminario. |
| Workshop | Modalidade formativa orientada á aplicación de aprendizaxes na que se poden combinar diversas metodoloxías/probas (exposicións, simulacións, debates, solución de problemas, prácticas guiadas, etc) a través da que o alumnado desenvolve tarefas eminentemente prácticas sobre un tema específico, co apoio e supervisión do profesorado. |
| Long answer / essay questions | Técnica de traballo en grupo que ten como finalidade o estudo intensivo dun tema. Caracterízase pola discusión, a participación, a elaboración de documentos e as conclusións ás que teñen que chegar todos os compoñentes do seminario. |
| Directed discussion | Teacher-guided discussion and debate of primary texts and their problems; class activities of various types that test student's comprehension of set texts and their discussion. |
| Personalized attention |
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| Assessment | |||
| Methodologies | Competencies | Description | Qualification |
| Workshop | A1 A2 A6 A15 A16 A18 B4 B7 B8 B10 C2 | In some of the classes, students will work either in groups or individually to write essays, hold debates, perform dramatized readings, etc. about the mandatory texts. Exercises will be completed and corrected in class. The teacher will take note of the students’ work and collect some of the exercises. | 20 |
| Seminar | A3 A9 A14 A16 A17 A18 A19 B7 B8 B10 C4 | Throughout the course, there will be 2 in-class essays that will be worth 15% each one. The format required will be that of an academic paper, i.e.: introduction (with a thesis statement), body, and conclusion. This means that not only the essay’s content but also its form (e.g. grammar, punctuation) will be taken into account. | 30 |
| Oral presentation | A6 A9 A15 B1 B3 B4 B6 B8 B10 C2 | In-class oral presentation/performance is OPTIONAL. It will be done between 3 and 9 students of the same mini-group (A1, A2, B1, or B2), who will perform either the mandatory works—a poem by Walt Whitman, a scene from The Scarlett Letter, etc.—or related ones—films like The New World, TV series like Jamestown, etc. Each student will have to talk from 1-to-2 min. While reading is forbidden, disguising is advisable, and rehearsing is essential. | 10 |
| Long answer / essay questions | A1 A2 A3 A6 A15 A16 A18 B6 B8 | The exam question(s) will also have to be answered in the shape of an academic paper (see seminar). | 40 |
| Assessment comments | |||
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-To pass this subject, you must be graded with at least 5 (out of 10) IN EACH ONE of the ESSAYS (seminar), in the WORKSHOP section and in the final EXAM, and at least with a 5 (out of 10) in the FINAL GRADE. -For the JULY opportunity, there will be mandatory essays, exercises, and exams as in June. On this occasion, each student must complete the section(s) that they did not pass on the first opportunity. The optional oral presentation will have the SAME REQUIREMENTS as in June, i.e.: it will have to be done live, probably the same day of the exam, at the end of it. -Students sitting the December exam (final exam brought forward) will be assessed according to the criteria specified for the July opportunity. -Students officially enrolled part-time who have been granted an official dispensation from attending classes will need to contact the teachers at the beginning of the semester. These students will be assessed according to the criteria applied in the July opportunity. -In order NOT to obtain the grade of "No presentado" (Absent), the student must attend the exam (even if it is just to write her or his name) OR do at least half of the scoring work. -All assignments must be submitted in time and in the specified format in order to avoid a penalty of 25% on the grade obtained. -Teachers can use the "Turnitin" plagiarism detection service to review student work. Plagiarism in any activity will mean obtaining a "zero" in it. -If the coordinator considers it appropriate, there may be topics of self-study by the students (e.g. to increase your knowledge). These materials, which will not be subject to evaluation, will be provided on Moodle. |
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| Sources of information |
| Basic |
Levine, Robert S., gen. ed. (2017). The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volumes A to C.. Norton & Co. |
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All required readings are from the Norton Anthology of American Literature, as indicated above. I will provide you with selected fragments on the Moodle platform. Literary histories: Elliott, Emory, gen. ed. Columbia Literary History of the United States. Columbia University Press, 1988. Gray, Richard. A History of American Literature. Blackwell, 2004. Ruland, Richard, and Malcolm Bradbury. From Puritanism to Postmodernism: A History of American Literature. Routledge, 1991. Other literary sources: Bercovitch, Sacvan, gen. ed. The Cambridge History of American Literature, Vol. 1: 1590-1820. Cambridge UP, 1994. ---, gen. ed. The Cambridge History of American Literature, Vol. 2: Prose Writing 1820-1865. Cambridge UP, 1995. Secondary texts on the web: Voice of the Shuttle: American Literature - http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2739 PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/table.html Research and study guide for American literature by professor Paul Reuben (California State University) Primary texts on the web: Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/ The Internet Archive - http://archive.org/details/texts Open Library - http://openlibrary.org/ The Poetry Foundation - http://www.poetryfoundation.org/ Further references will be provided on individual authors throughout the course. |
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| Complementary | |
| Recommendations | ||
| Subjects that it is recommended to have taken before |
| Subjects that are recommended to be taken simultaneously |
| Subjects that continue the syllabus | ||
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| Other comments | |
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The course is conceived in conjunction with "Literatura Norteamericana 2" as a review of the literature of what is now known as the United States from its colonial beginnings to its contemporary writers. Limitations of time naturally restrict the number of works to be treated in class and economic considerations determine the choice of the Norton anthology as the source of the texts analyzed. But within these limits our aim is to survey the variety and diversity of American literature through close analysis of a series of what could be considered representative texts. At the same time, our readings of these texts will include a reflection on what makes these or any texts "representative", in this case, of a body of work considered “American” literature. These texts will be treated, roughly, in chronological order, with attention being paid to their historical contexts and their reflection of the literary and rhetorical concerns of their period. This is especially the case of early American literature (Puritan and colonial writings) where, beside the literary value and rhetorical strategies of these texts, we will be interested in identifying the appearance of characteristic American themes and cultural forms that constantly reappear in the later literature. Focusing on these aspects, we will try to sketch out what is peculiarly "American" about American literature and why it is of interest to non-Americans. Most, if not all, class-work will concentrate on close analysis of the texts themselves. This course is not only an introduction to American literature; it is also an exploration of how texts work, what reading and writing strategies they demand (i.e., both how the reader "reads" and how the writer "writes" in response to other texts), and how this affects the way we respond to them. As we shall see, this is especially pertinent to American literature given its concern with how "America" itself should be read and written. |