English Literature 

Credit gained: 1 High School Credit

Prerequisites

None.

Course description

This course examines how the concept of the American Dream shapes American literature from the mid 19th to the 21st century. Emphasis is placed on the ways in which American literature tries to expose or resolve ideological binary oppositions and ambiguities generated by the concept of the American Dream in different cultural periods, from Romanticism to Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism. Students will study the dynamic interrelation between literary text and cultural context as well as content and aesthetic form in a variety of texts from all four major literary forms: Prose: Fiction, Prose: Non-Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. In the process, they will develop skills in both the contextual and close reading of a text as well as advanced critical thinking, commentary, essay writing, and research skills. Focus is placed on encouraging students to create literary commentaries and essays that demonstrate a deep understanding of a text, sophisticated appreciation of the author’s aesthetic choices as well as the use of advanced academic vocabulary, coherent structure, and supportive evidence.

Texts Studied

  • Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (“Preface” & “I Hear America Singing”)
  • Mark Twain, “A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It”
  • Langston Hughes, “Harlem,” “I, Too,” “Let America Be America Again”
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Rich Boy”
  • Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
  • Edward Albee, The Zoo Story
  • Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream”
  • Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On
  • Adrienne Rich, “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,” “Power,” “Diving into the Wreck”
  • Maya Angelou, “Africa,” “Alone,” “Still I Rise”
  • Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the U.S.A.”
  • Barack Obama, “Reclaiming the American Dream”

Course Start/End Date:

  • Fall 2023: Starting week of October 2nd, 2023 to week of January 22nd, 2024

  • Winter 2024: Starting week of Feb 12th , 2024 to week of May 27th, 2024

Course Duration: 15 weeks

Minimum Enrollment: 5 Students

Fellow/Online Instructor: Dr. Evan Syropoulos

Cost: 600 Euros