ENG 206 - American Literature From the Civil War to the Present

 
Description
This is a survey course of American literature from the Civil War to the modern period. Included are such major writers as Dickinson, Twain, James, Crane, Frost, Hemingway, Faulkner and Steinbeck. Also studied are historical, political and philosophical trends important to an understanding of the literature.

1. List and define the major literary periods in America from the Civil War to the present.
2. Identify the major historical time periods and literary trends from the end of the Civil War to the present 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 realism, modernism, and post-modernism.
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 1865 to the present, especially literary realism and modernism
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

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