ENGL 542 The American Novel

This course offers the opportunity to explore the narrative and stylistic changes over the span of 200 years of American literary output and history. Like most countries, the United States of America has shifted according to the context of the world outside and inside its borders. A student may benefit from this study by focusing on the ever-changing shifts in culture while reading the texts themselves with a Kingdom-informed posture. In addition, the student will discover the shifting concepts of identity and subjectivity in the novels, while paying close attention to American concepts of race, ethnicity, gender, and class.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

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Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion & Idea Development Assignments (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 4 Discussions in this course. Each will be completed in 3 parts:

Part 1: Discussion Threads

These discussion threads will be used for idea development. The student will choose a topic to discuss; these topics are provided in the Discussion & Assignment Instructions folder for the assigned module. Once the student has selected his or her topic, he or she will post an initial 500–700-word Discussion on the topic.

Part 2: Discussion Replies

The student will respond to at least 2 classmates’ Discussion threads and provide additional feedback, ideas, or critiques. Each reply must be between 250–300 words.

Part 3: Assignment Submission

The student will submit his or her final Idea Development Assignment of 700–1000 words via the assignment submission link.

Academic Journal Analysis Assignment

The introduction to the academy is one major reason for graduate study. Familiarity with and writing for academic journals promote a scholarly discipline that requires students to be current in the field. To that end, this report serves two distinct purposes (among many others). First, the student should be intimately acquainted with the journal he or she chooses to report on. Second, the student will provide a brief snapshot of the past 10-year history of the journal he or she has chosen. The submission for this assignment should be 2 pages in length. Please see the prompt for a more detailed view of this assignment.

Research Project Assignments (3)

The Research Project is split into 3 separate assignments:

Research Project: Topic & Thesis Assignment

The student will choose a topic for the research paper and write a thesis.

Research Project: Outline & Bibliography Assignment

The student will revise his or her thesis based on feedback provided by the instructor and develop an outline and a bibliography of at least 12 scholarly references for the research paper. The assignment follow current MLA or APA formatting.

Research Project: Final Submission Assignment

The student will write a 5,000-word (15–20 page) paper. The paper must have clear, cogent arguments, supporting evidence, focus on analysis, correct documentation, and excellent writing skills.  It also must reflect the audience focus of the academic journal assignment