The Contemporary American Novel

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• The ability to read critically and discuss the aesthetic, rhetorical, or cultural qualities in texts.
• The ability to develop convincing, well-supported print or digital projects.
• The ability to understand the relationship of literature or rhetoric to history or culture
• The ability to incorporate research into a print or digital project.
• The ability to understand and implement literary or rhetorical theories.
• Analyze references to other literature and media in literary texts and communicate what you have learned to other readers.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Attendance. You get 5 points for each class you attend. If you miss more than 10 minutes of class (arrive late, step out in the middle, leave early), you get 2 points. If you miss more than 6 class meetings, you can score no higher than a C for the course. I will recalculate your final score on a 2.0 scale.	125 points
Short Exams. There will be a test on each book, on the last day we discuss the book. 25 points each.	150 points
Short Assignments and In-class activities (SAIA). Once each week, you will be given a short assignment to bring to class or an in-class activity (such as a writing exercise). You get 6 points for completion of this activity. If you miss class on the day an in-class activity is assigned, it is your responsibility to reach out to me for make-up work. These are graded for full (6)/half (3)/no credit (0).	70 points
Final Project. You will be offered a range of options for this project. I invite you to approach this assignment creatively and to incorporate your other strengths and interests, such as visual art, performance, game design, and so forth. If you’d prefer to write a traditional term paper, that will be an option, too. A detailed assignment prompt will be distributed later in the semester.	55 points

Letter Grade | # points accumulated

Percentage	Letter Grade
370+	A
350 - 369	A-
330 - 349	B+
300 - 329	B
270 - 299	B-
250 - 269	C+
230 - 249	C
200 - 229	C-
150 - 169	D
<150	F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance. You get 5 points for each class you attend. If you miss more than 10 minutes of class (arrive late, step out in the middle, leave early), you get 2 points. If you miss more than 6 class meetings, you can score no higher than a C for the course. I will recalculate your final score on a 2.0 scale.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

• Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame. Chain-Gang All Stars. Pantheon, 2023.
• Egan, Jennifer. A Visit from the Goon Squad. Anchor, 2010.
• Giddings, Megan. Lakewood. Amistad, 2020.
• Jones, Tayari. An American Marriage. Algonquin, 2018.
• Ma, Ling. Severance. Picador, 2018.
• Moshfegh, Ottessa. My Year of Rest and Relaxation. Penguin, 2018.