ENGL 447
Appalachian Literature

1. Catalog Entry

ENGL 447. Appalachian Literature
Three hours lecture (3).

Prerequisite: Completion of English general education requirements.

The course establishes standards for identifying Appalachian literature, literature written in and about the Appalachian mountain region of the United States, through the study of selected prose and poetic works representative of the mountain culture.

2. Detailed Description of Content of Course

ENGL 447 is a close reading of selected literary works from and about the Appalachian region, ranging from early travelers' reports in the late 1600's to contemporary poetry, fiction, essays, and drama.

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Through lecture and discussion led by the instructor, through student-led discussions of assigned readings, through oral presentations by students, and through readings and discussions by visiting authors in person or on videotape, students in ENGL 447 learn to identify major literary genres and approaches represented in Appalachian literature. Through informal and exploratory writing, as in journals or writing logs; through writing-to-learn exercises intended to stimulate discussion and facilitate learning; through essay examinations; through oral presentations; and through formal, critical essays, students are asked to demonstrate their ability to synthesize their knowledge about Appalachian literature and apply theoretical criteria to selected texts. In-class peer groups may review drafts and provide reader response.

4. Goals and Objectives of Course

In ENGL 447, students should become familiar with the concept of Appalachian regional literature through historical and cultural contexts. Students should acquire theoretical bases for defining and analyzing Appalachian literature through their study of the scholarship and criticism of this literature. Through reading, discussing, and writing, students should become knowledgeable about selected essays, poetry, fiction, and drama which focus on the region.

5. Assessment Measures

ENGL 447 uses a variety of assessment measures, which may include a number of the following:

• informal writing activities such as readers’ logs, journals and discussion questions;
• in-class student oral presentations and recitations;
• reading quizzes and examinations on the assigned readings;
• in-class or take-home essay examinations on the assigned readings;
• researched or non-researched essays on the literary works and authors examined in the course;
• research project and/or final essay focused on a single work or several works examined in the course;
• short critical essays examining individual literary works within an historical, biographical, cultural or literary context;
• short critical essays using specific literary strategies to analyze a literary work;
• short critical essays to analyze the formal qualities of particular literary works;
• short imaginative/creative pieces that imitate a literary work or style or that extend or revise the point of view of a literary work.

6. Other Course Information

NONE

7. Review and Approval