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ACE Credit American Literature Online

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ACE Credit American Literature Online

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ACE American Literature (3 Semester Credits) – Course Syllabus

Description:

American Literature I (1650–1860) examines significant literary works of early American and Puritan literature, the Enlightenment, American Romanticism, and pre-Civil War era. The course includes primary texts (many accompanied by video/audio options), historical background, literary criticism and interpretation, and instruction on writing about literature.

 Textbook: American Literature I - Eidenmuller - Lumen Learning, 2018.

(This text is provided to students as part of their enrollment.)

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

 Course objectives:

Throughout the course, you will meet the following goals:

  • Identify the key features of prose and poetry.
  • Describe the major historical and cultural developments of colonial America.
  • Describe the major conventions, tropes, and themes of Enlightenment literature.
  • Explain the key concepts and terms of the Romantic period.
  • Discuss the main conventions, tropes, and themes of Gothic literature, Romantic literature, transcendental literature, and abolitionist literature.
  • Find and use historical sources and literary criticism in your analysis of literary works.

Course Evaluation Criteria

A passing percentage is 70% or higher.

Grading Scale                                                                                   

A = 95-100%

B = 88-94.9%

C = 80-87.9%

D = 70-79.9%

F = Below 70%

ACE Course Retake Policy

2 (two) attempts are allowed on every quiz, and 2 (two) attempts are allowed on every final exam.

 Proctorio – Video Proctoring

All Final Exams are video proctored with Proctorio. (www.proctorio.com)

ADA Policy

Excel Education Systems is committed to maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment to all students, across all of its schools, in accordance with the 1990 Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

There is a total of 130 points in this course:

Grade Weighting

Chapter Quizzes          70%

Final Exam                  30%

100%

 

Assessment Points Available Percentage of Final Grade
Module 1 Quiz 20 17.5
Modules 2 and 3 Quiz 20 17.5
Module 4 Quiz 20 17.5
Module 5 Quiz 20 17.5
Final Exam 50 30
Total 130 100

 

Course Contents and Objectives

 

Module 1: Reading and Interpreting Literary Texts
Lessons How to Analyze a Short Story

A Short History of the Early American Novel

Approaching Poetry

Free Verse

Literary Terms: A Guide

Literary Criticism
Objectives
  • Identify the key features of prose
  • Identify the key features of poetry
  • Identify and describe the major critical approaches to literary interpretation: New Criticism/Formalism, Reader-Response, Feminism, and Marxism
  • Have an awareness of the role of analysis to inform appreciation and understanding of poetry
  • Be able to identify and discuss the main analytical concepts used in analyzing poetry

 

Module 2: Early American and Puritan Literature (1650–1750)
Lessons A Model of Christian Charity

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

The Pilgrim’s Progress

Verses Upon the Burning of Our House
Objectives
  • Describe the major historical and cultural developments of colonial America; explain key concepts.
  • Describe the major conventions, tropes, and themes of Puritan and early American literature; identify and discuss those features with regard to individual works appreciation and understanding of poetry.
  • Explain what the underlying point was of most literature written during the Great Awakening.
  • Describe the importance of literary works, such as The Pilgrim’s Progress, to Christians leaving England for the New World.

 

Module 3: Enlightenment Literature (1760–1820)
Lessons Edwards and the Enlightenment Literature

American Puritism (I)

The American Enlightenment

American Puritism (III)

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

American Gothic (I)

American Transcendentalism (I)

Frederick Douglass

Reader-Response Criticism
Objectives
  • Describe the major historical and cultural developments of the Enlightenment; explain key concepts.
  • Describe the major conventions, tropes, and themes of Enlightenment literature; identify and discuss those features with regard to individual authors/works.

 

Module 4: Romantic Literature (1820–1860)
Lessons The Romantic Period, 1820-1860: Essayists and Poets

Thanatopsis

Wakefield

Song of Myself

The Use of Nature in American Gothic

The Indian Burying Ground

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Raven

History of American Literature

The Second Great Awakening and Transcendentalism

Nature

The American Scholar

Self-Reliance

Walden: Economy

Walden: Where I Lived and What I Lived For

Walden: Conclusion

Women’s Sphere and Emergence of the Women’s Rights Movement

Women in the Nineteenth Century

Resistance and Abolition

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Objectives
  • Describe the major historical and cultural developments of the Romantic period; explain key concepts and terms (e.g., the sentimental)
  • Describe the major conventions, tropes, and themes of Romantic literature; identify and discuss those features with regard to individual authors/works
  • Describe the major conventions, tropes, and themes of Gothic literature; identify and discuss those features with regard to individual authors/works
  • Describe the major conventions, tropes, and themes of transcendental literature; identify and discuss those features with regard to individual authors/works
  • Describe the major conventions, tropes, and themes of abolitionist literature and slave narratives; identify and discuss those features with regard to individual authors/works

 

 

Module 5: Writing About Literature
Lessons Distinguish Between Primary and Secondary Sources

Annotated List of Useful Online Resources

Using Databases: Periodical Indexes and Abstracts

Annotated List of Useful Databases

Finding Literary Criticism

Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Style
Objectives
  • Find and use historical sources to discuss the historical context of a literary work.
  • Find and use literary criticism in your analysis of literary works.
  • Cite sources correctly using MLA format.
  • Describe the difference between Primary and Secondary Sources.
  • Explain how Defining Questions are used to evaluate material for inclusion in the writing.
  • Explain how to use databases to find resources when writing.
  • Distinguish between Search Engines vs. Databases vs. Catalogs
  • Understand how to use and cite Print and Electronic Sources
  • Describe how determine the suitability and reliability of research sources.
  • Describe how Literary Criticism is effectively used in the writing process.
  • Identify the major components of a research paper written using MLA style.
  • Apply general Modern Language Association (MLA) style and formatting conventions in a research paper.

ACE American Literature (3 Semester Credits)