Spring 2008 Syllabus

Welcome to English 2327: Survey of American Literature.  This is an online course addressing selections of literary works by United States writers from the early colonial period through Walt Whitman.  English 2327 is offered by Navarro College as a service to those who cannot attend campus-based instruction or who prefer to study independently. 

English 2327 examines significant letters, journals, and  histories of the 17th century that lay the foundations for the world views and value systems that move American thought toward political revolution and national independence.  

Essays and treatises from the 18th century chronicle the critical judgment of the founding leaders of the new republic that led to the framing of the U.S. Constitution. 

Literature of the 19th century includes a full range of literary genres--poetry, short fiction, novels, and drama. 

Assignments include readings and written analyses of selected works and writers represented in the textbook, The Anthology of American Literature: Volume I (Prentice Hall).  In a survey course which covers such a wide period of time, works, and authors, students can expect to find some of the themes and concepts represented in the selections to be intellectually challenging and disturbing, contradictory, perhaps, to personal tastes and world views.  Other readings will address ideas which will seem comfortably familiar, complementing long-held values and assumptions.  In either case, students should find the course rewardingly stimulating and should come away from the studies with a greater appreciation for their place in evolution of American cultures. 

Key Course Dates and Deadlines

Beginning Date: Monday, January 17, 2008
Last Day to Drop the Course with a Grade of "W": Noon, April 18, 2008
Last Day to Submit All Work: April 29, 2008
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