ENG 205 - American Literature to the Civil War

 
Description
This is a survey course of American literature from the Colonial Period to the Civil War. Included are such major writers as Poe, Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman and Melville. Also studied are historical, political and philosophical trends important to an understanding of the literature.

1. Identify and define various genres of early American Literature.
2. Identify the major historical time periods and literary trends from the Pre-Columbian era to the end of the Civil War and list characteristics of each time period/trend.
3. Develop and exercise effective critical reading, thinking, and writing skills.
4. Evaluate the development of the American literary canon in order to judge the validity of literary theories and critical perspectives.
5. Investigate through research methods the major concepts of American literary history, including oral traditions, Spanish and English colonization, Puritanism, the Enlightenment, and Romanticism.
6. Synthesize information from class readings, discussions, learning activities, lectures, and research and illustrate this synthesis in evaluated writing assignments.

1. Major Literary periods from the Pre-Columbian era to the end of the Civil War
2. Principal historical movements, social conditions, and political tendencies that influence a writer’s ideas and style
3. Characteristics of major critical perspectives
4. Characteristics of American literature
5. Common themes of the literature
6. Application of critical thinking skills in written and oral exercises

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