Texts:
Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko (Laguna Pueblo)
Flight, Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur d'Alene)
Fools Crow, James Welch (Blackfoot/Gros Ventre)
The Lesser Blessed, Richard VanCamp
Nothing But the Truth: An Anthology of Native American Literature,
Purdy and Ruppert
Attendance, Participation (25% of grade):
Consistent attendance is required. Please email me if you are ill or have a
family emergency; these absences will be excused up to a point. If you have 6 unexcused absences you will fail the course.
Active participation is required, as the course is
based on students' discussion of texts. Read all assignments in advance of class
and always bring your text to class. For each reading, prepare a comment and
question on the text to be discussed. If you don't like to write in your books,
keep a reading journal specifically for this purpose. This will prepare you for
class discussions. I may occasionally give short (typed) writing assignments.
Attendance at Events (5% of grade):
You are required to attend at least one course-related event on campus and
submit a 1-1/2 to 2 page written report of what you experienced and how it
related to the course. You can earn extra credit by attending more than one
event. I will add Native-oriented events to our "Campus Events" button as
I become aware of them.
Exams (40% of grade):
You will take four exams. These will be identification of author and work in
short passages and a short essay explaining the passage, and/or short essay questions.
How to Write A Literary Analysis
Researched Essay (25% of grade):
You will write one researched essay on a text, genre, or issue relevant to
the course (see Final Project button). You will submit a 1-2 page
proposal that will become a 10-12 page researched essay (MLA format).
Oral Presentation of Final Project (5% of
grade):
So that we can share what we're researching and learning, you'll each give a
5-7 minute oral presentation of your final project, and you will evaluate each
other on the effectiveness of the presentations.
MLA Style Guide
Proposal and Paper Assignment
Proposal: Submit a formal, typed (double-spaced, no
more than 3 pages) paper proposal in which you tell me your idea for your
researched essay: what problem or issue(s) do you plan to write about?
Include a summary of an article you've read on this issue, that includes:
Name of author, Title of article, Source (journal title), three major ideas from
the article, and the potential specific usefulness of this article for the
research essay. Exactly how do the ideas in the article link to a text we have
read or watched in the class?
In addition to the article report, provide a list of primary and additional secondary sources
you may use in your essay. You do not need a specific thesis at
this time, but rather an idea or a "burning question" you want to answer regarding some element of
Native literature and life. The clearer you are, the more helpful the feedback I
can give you.
Paper: Research and write a 10-12 page (plus Works Cited page) essay in MLA format. Your essay should be problem-based (see Final Project button). Create a topic you wish to learn more about, or a "burning question" you want to answer and create a thesis based on it. You may focus on an author or group of authors, an issue or theme(s) (e.g., ceremony/the sacred, the legacy of colonialism in Native life, humor, historical trauma and healing, decolonization and empowerment, survivance, family and identity) or some other topic you create. You must use at least one primary source and at least two secondary sources.