Course Description

What is "America"? What does it mean to be "American"? These are questions residents of this land have been asking for centuries. They are questions with which current residents still struggle, as they seek to understand their own identity in relation to the identity of the nation and world around them. While it should be obvious that there are no complete answers to these questions, and certainly no answers on which we could all agree, it should also be clear why the struggle to answer the questions is a central one in understanding not only our land, but ourselves. In this course you will explore the ideas of "American" writers from the 1600's to the present day, and you will develop your own understanding of the identity of this nation. It is our hope that with these efforts, you will come to a new understanding of your own identity as well.

Course Readings

Core Class Texts:

Into the Wild (summer reading)

A Tale of Two Cities (summer reading)

The Scarlet Letter

Walden

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Pudd'nhead Wilson

The Great Gatsby

As I Lay Dying

Fences

The Things They Carried

The Bluest Eye or Sula

A selection of American poetry, short stories, films and non-fiction writing will supplement the texts listed above.