Samford University
MPEN211 Major American Authors
Spring 2012
Dr. Ken Kirby
Learning
Objectives in Literature assignment
On Tuesday, May 15, a paper of 1500-2000 words (five to six typed,
double-spaced pages) will be due in class.
Do not do any research for this paper in books or journals of
literary
criticism, notes, or other sources. The
interpretations we have discussed in class will be sufficient for the
literary
interpretation component of this assignment.
Your assignment is to suggest which literary works in this
course were most beneficial to you, personally and as a class. Think of it as follows: you
are selecting authors to be included in
an anthology of literary works for SU Adult Degree students, and you
are providing
input as to which of these authors should be included and which could
be
omitted. Discuss this in relation to the
goals that SU Adult Degree students have for their education, the
rationale that the
SU Adult Degree Program has for requiring humanities courses like
literature, and the
interpretations we made in class. Limit
yourself to a discussion of three authors so as to get some depth in a
relatively short paper. You may offer an
explanation of why one author or work was perhaps least beneficial,
basing your
argument on the same criteria. Works
selected least beneficial by several students will possibly be omitted
from
your final exam, provided the justification for exclusion is persuasive
and
based on the criteria you will determine in the above process.
The paper must include your criteria for
inclusion or
exclusion (i.e., what students need from humanities courses and your
understanding of why colleges require them) and discussion of three
authors,
explaining how the experience of reading and studying the work meets or
does
not meet the criteria for being beneficial.
The paper will also be graded on its unity and focus, knowledge
of the
literature and possible interpretations, organization, style, and
mechanics. You must bring a draft to
class on Nov. 30.