LIT 2090:  Multi-Ethnic Literature

Tentative Course Schedule

TR 2:00-3:15

Spring 2021

WEEK 1     WEEK 2     WEEK 3     WEEK 4     WEEK 5     WEEK 6       WEEK 7      WEEK 8

WEEK 9     WEEK 10   WEEK 11     WEEK 12     WEEK 13     WEEK 14     WEEK 15

WEEK 16

NOTE:  This schedule may change as needed.  Your presence in class ensures correct assignments

WEEK 1

T 1/19          Introduction to the course; Review syllabus and texts & reading critically; 

                      New Historicism & Working Definitions; How Can We Address Centuries of 

                      Racism in Art? by Titus Kaphar; The Negro Page by Aelbert Cuyp; Freewrite;

                      Forming an Academic Argument: How can Multiethnic Literature address

                      racism in art?

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 1/21): 

•              Complete Syllabus Quiz in Ulearn 
  

•              Complete "Hello, I Am..." Flipgrid post (see Ulearn)
  

•              Watch "Power in Literature: Short Stories Part 1: Symbols?"
  

•              Read "Little Things"
  

•              Set up Course Blog
  

•              Email Prof. Harmon the link to your blog @kenny.harmon@jwu.edu 
  

R 1/21         Discuss "Little Things"; Blog Post 1; Intro to Fiction Terms and Literary Analysis

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 1/26):  

                      For Next Time:  

•             Respond to the posts of two other students on the "Hello, I Am" Flipgrid
  

•             Read “Run, Mourner, Run" by Randall Kenan (in Ulearn)
  

•             Complete Reading Quiz
  

•             Do Reader Response #1 by posting a 300 word min. response to the following                question by class time: What does role does the tire swing play in this story
  

                      and the author's use of characterization? What is its connection to the title of

                      the story?          

WEEK 2

T 1/26            Discuss Kenan and  Do Blog Post 2

                        HOMEWORK (DUE 1/28):          

•                Read , “The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red
  

                         Anymore,” by Sherman Alexie

•                Do Flipgrid Post #2: What is the most significant action taken by a
  

                        character in this story and what does it reveal about the work's overall

                        theme?  See further instructions in Ulearn            ​

R 1/28            Discuss Alexi & Do blog post 3                     

                       HOMEWORK (DUE 2/2): 

•              Respond to the posts of two other student on the Alexie Fligrid (#2)
  

•              Read "Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros
  

•              Do Reader Response #2 by posting a 300 word min. response to the following               question by class time: What is an object closely associated with a character
  

                       in this story?  Why do you think the author associates the character with this

                       object?  What does the connection reveal about character's want/needs

                       /desires and/or what they fear?  Include a min. of one quote.

WEEK 3 

T 2/2           Discuss Cisneros; Quiz and blog post 4

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 2/4):  

•              Read What is Literary Criticism?
  

                       Read "My Dear You" by Rachel Khong   

                       Do Flipgrid #3:  What do you see as the central theme of Khong's story and 

                       why?  Support your argument with evidence from the text.

R 2/4          Do Invention work in class; Discuss Khong (via Flipgrid)

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 2/9): 

•             Complete Claim and Subclaims
  

•             Respond to the posts of two other students on Flipgrid #3 Khong
  

•             Read "A Map to the Next World" by Joy Harjo
  

WEEK 4          

T 2/9            Intro to Poetry; Discuss Harjo

                       HOMEWORK (DUE 2/11):  

•              Read "Aubade with Burning City" by Ocean Vuong
  

•              First Draft of Essay 1 Due; Submit to Ulearn
  

•              See Literary Criticism Checklist
  

•              Also Submit Draft to Smarthinking
  

R 2/11          First Draft of Essay 1 Due; Exchange for Critique; Why Critique? Discuss Vuong

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 2/16):  

•              Read "A Litany for Survival" by Audre Lorde
  

•              Typed Critique of Partner's Essay Due (both parts); submit to Ulearn and 
  

                       bring to class 

•              Smarthinking Report and Revision Plan Due; See Ulearn for Instructions
  

•              Do Reader Response #3 as a Flipgrid post (see link in Ulearn):  
  

•              What is the significance of the last stanza and how does it connect to the
  

                       repetition of the word "afraid" found throughout the poem? min. 5 mintues

WEEK 5

 T 2/16        Peer Critique; GROUP CONFERENCES; Discuss Lorde (via Flipgrid)

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 2/18):   

•             Respond to the posts of two other students on the Lorde Flipgrid
  

•             Continue to revise Essay 1
  

•             Read "Como Tu/Like You/ Like Me" by Richard Blanco
  

•             Complete Flipgrid #4:  What do you think the speaker means when they 
  

                      state, "I question history's blur in my eyes?  How does the line connect to the 

                      remainder of the poem?

R 2/18          Discuss Blanco (via Flipgrid); GROUP CONFERENCES

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 2/23):    

•             Final Draft of Essay 1 Due with Reflection
  

WEEK 6         

T 2/23         Essay 1 Due with Reflection; Preview Poetry Explication

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 2/25):  

•             Read "Am I an American?" by Ibram Kendi
  

•            Do Reader Response #4:  What emotional and intellectual impact does this 
  

                     essay have on you and do you see any connections to the texts that we've read 

                     so far this term?  

R 2/25       Discuss Kendi Essay

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 3/2):   

•              Watch I Am Not Your Negro (film) via Kanopy (94 mintues); Log in using 
  

                       JWU credentials

•              Make a list of important quotes as your watch.  Upload to Ulearn by class 
  

                      time; min. 300 words

                      Work on Poetry Explication

WEEK 7

T 3/2           Discuss I Am Not Your Negro; ASSIGN PARTNERS FOR WEDNESDAY'S 

                     CRITIQUE

•             First Draft of Poetry Explication Due; Submit to Ulearn
  

•             See Literary Criticism Checklist
  

•             Also submit draft to Smarthiking
  

•            bring copy to class
  

R 3/4           First Draft of Poetry Explication Due; Critique of Poetry Explication

                      PROFESSOR HARMON @ CONFERENCE, NO ZOOM MEETING

                     HOMEWORK (DUE 3/9):   

•            Complete typed critique of partner's essay (both parts); see Ulearn
  

•             Read Opening Pages and "Autumn" section of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
  

​                      (up through page 58)

•            Complete Reading Quiz in Ulearn
  

•            Do Reader Response #5 by posting a 300 word min. response to your
  

                     blog to the following question by class time: How does the content of

                     this section connect to one of the poems that we read this term? Be sure to 

                     include a min. of one quote.

WEEK 8

T 3/9         

                      Continue to Discuss the Bluest Eye

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 3/11): 

•              Read "Winter" section of The Bluest Eye , pp. 61-93
  

•              Complete Reading Quiz in Ulearn
  

•               Do Reader Response #6 by posting a 300 word min. response to your blog to 
  

                       the following question by class time: How does the content of this section

                       connect to one of the poems that we read this term? Be sure to include a min.

                       of one quote.

                      Continue to Revise Poetry Explication                      

R 3/11         Discuss The Bluest Eye

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 3/16): 

•              Read pp. 97-131 of The Bluest Eye
  

•              Complete Reading Quiz in Ulearn
  

•              Final Draft of Poetry Explication Due with Reflection
  

WEEK 9

T 3/16          Final Draft of Poetry Explication Due; Discuss The Bluest Eye

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 3/18): 

•              Read pp. 132-183 of The Bluest Eye 
  

•             Complete Reading Quiz in Ulearn
  

•              Do Reader Response #7 by posting a 300 word min. response to your blog to
  

                       the following question:  Identify an action taken by a character in this section

                       only that you think is significant.  Explain why it is important and what it

                       reveals about an emerging theme in the novel.

R 3/18          Discuss The Bluest Eye

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 3/23):  

•               Complete Reading Quiz in Ulearn
  

•               Read 187-216 of The Bluest Eye 
  

WEEK 10

T 3/23          Discuss The Bluest Eye

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 3/25):   

•              Complete Claim and Subclaims for Essay 2; Submit to Ulearn
  

 R 3/25        Work on Draft (NO ZOOM MEETING)

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 3/30):   

•              First Draft of Essay 2 Due; Upload to Ulearn by class time
  

•              See Literary Criticism Checklist
  

•               Also submit draft to Smarthinking by class time; see Ulearn
  

• 
  

WEEK 11

T 3/30        First Draft of Essay 2 Due; Exchange for Critique; Why Critique? 

                     GROUP CONFERENCES  

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 4/1):

•              Typed critique of partner's essay due (both parts); Submit both steps to
  

​                        Ulearn

•               Smarthinking Report and Revision Plan due; Submit to Ulearn
  

R 4/1           Peer Critique; GROUP CONFERENCES 

                     HOMEWORK (DUE 4/6):

•            Final Draft of Essay 2 due with Reflection; Submit as  ONE MS WORD file  
  

WEEK 12

T 4/6         Final Draft of Essay 2 Due with Reflection

                    HOMEWORK (DUE 4/8):

•           Read Chapters 1-3 of The Best We Could Do
  

•           Complete Reading Quiz in Ulearn
  

•           Do Reader Response #8 by posting a 300 word min. response in Ulearn to the                following question by class time: Make a connection between this section of the           text and one of the short  stories or poems that we read this term. Provide
  

                  specific examples from each text and include a min. of one quote.

R 4/8         Discuss Chapters 1-3

                    HOMEWORK (DUE 4/13):

WEEK 13

T 4/13        Discuss Chapters 1-3

                     HOMEWORK (DUE 415):

•             Read Chapters 4-7 of The Best We Could Do
  

•             Complete Reading Quiz in Ulearn
  

•             Do Reader Response #9 by posting a 300 word min. response to
  

                      the Ulearn by class time: Make a connection between this section of the text

                      and one of the short stories or poems that we read this term. Provide specific

                      examples from each text and include a min. of one quote.

R 4/15         Discuss Chapters 4 & 5

                      HOMEWORK (DUE 4/20):

                       Read Chapters 8-10 of the Best We Could Do

•              Complete Reading Quiz in Ulearn
  

•              Do Reader Response #10 by posting a 300 word min. response in Ulearn to the
  

                       following question by class time: In what ways does this text demonstrate

                      what it means to be a citizen in a democracy, and how does it point out that

                      the simple binary (us/vs) history lesson that most of us learned as children is

                      much more complicated than what we were taught when we were

                       younger? Provide specific examples from each text and include a min. of one

                       quote.

WEEK 14

T 4/20         Discuss Chapters 6-10

                       HOMEWORK (DUE 4/22):

• 
  

R 4/22         Exam Question Distributed; Continue to Discuss Chapters 6-10

                       HOMEWORK (DUE 4/27):

                       Begin work on Final Exam

WEEK 15

T 4/27          Final Exam Prep

                       HOMEWORK (DUE 4/29):

                       Work on Final Exam

R 4/29         Work on Final Exam

                       HOMEWORK (DUE 5/4):

•              Final Exam due with Reflection; submit both to Ulearn as ONE MS WORD file
  

•              See Literary Criticism Checklist
  

WEEK 16

T 5/4         Final Exam Due with Reflection