ENGL 3712 - American Literature 1
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 01, CRN 40982,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Dr. Lucas Hardy
Email: lhardy01@ysu.edu
Course Description
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 10th Edition, Vols. A & B | Levine | 978039369670 |
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Week of | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8/24 | John Smith: from The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles William Bradford: Of Plymouth Plantation (end with “The First Thanksgiving”) |
The Rhetoric of Colonial Settlement in America | Instructional Items in Learning Module1 |
| 8/31 | Smith & Bradford (Continued) | The Rhetoric of Colonial Settlement in America (Continued) | Reading Response 1 |
| 9/7 | Anne Bradstreet: “The Prologue,” “Contemplations,” “The Flesh and the Spirit,” “Verses upon the Burning of Our House,” “To My Dear Children” Edward Taylor: “Prologue,” “God’s Determination,” “Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children,” “Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold,” “Huswifery” |
Puritan Poetry | Instructional Items in Learning Module 2 |
| 9/14 | Bradstreet & Taylor Continued | Puritan Poetry (Continued) | Reading Response 2 |
| 9/21 | Mary Rowlandson: A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration John Marrant: from A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful Dealings with John Marrant |
Captivity Narratives | Instructional Items in Learning Module 3 |
| 9/28 | Rowlandson & Marrant (Continued) | Captivity Narratives (Continued) | Microtheme Essay 1 |
| 10/5 | Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography - Part 1 | New American Personality | Instructional Items in Learning Module 4 Reading Response 3 |
| 10/12 | Author Unknown: Rosa, Or American Genius and Education (Blackboard PDF) | Literature & Culture in the Early Republic | Instructional Items in Learning Module 5 |
| 10/19 | Rosa (Continued) | Literature & Culture in the Early Republic (continued) | Reading Response 4 |
| 10/26 | Phillis Wheatley: all poems included in the Norton Anthology Harriet Jacobs: from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl |
Enslaved Women's Writing | Instructional Items in Learning Module 6 |
| 11/2 | Wheatley and Jacobs (Continued) | Enslaved Women's Writing (Continued) | Reading Response 5 |
| 11/9 | Herman Melville: Bartleby, the Scrivener | Fiction and Public Life | Instructional Items in Learning Module 7 |
| 11/16 | Frederick Douglass: from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass | The Rhetoric of Bondage & Freedom | Instructional Items in Learning Module 8 |
| 11/23 | Douglass (Continued) | The Rhetoric of Bondage & Freedom (Continued) | Reading Response 6 |
| 11/30 | Edgar Allan Poe: “The Fall of the House of Usher” | Early American Gothic | Instructional Items in Learning Module 9 Reading Response 7 |
| 12/7 | Final Exam Week - No New Readings Assigned | Microtheme Essay 2 |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.