USLA07: Memory and Modernity: American and Singaporean Literature in Context

Required Texts

• James Weldon Johnson, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Penguin).
• Anzia Yezierska, Bread Givers (Persea)
• Philip Jeyaretnam, Abraham's Promise (Times)
• Course Packet

Note: The novels are available at the NUS Co-op. The Course Packet can be obtained in Scholars Reading Room after the first week of classes. Other readings are available online. Please print out online readings and bring them to class with the paragraphs numbered.

Readings

• Thomas Edison kinetoscope films from the American Memory online collections. I'll be screening these in class.
• Johnson, James Weldon. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. (1912).
  
• Du Bois, W. E. B. "Of Our Spiritual Strivings." The Souls of Black Folk (1903) (concentrate on the first 5 paragraphs).
  
• New York Skyline (1908)
• Paul Strand photos
• Alfred Steiglitz photos
• Rogin, Michael. Black Face White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot. Berkeley: UC Press, 1996. 81-120. (Course reader)
• Crossland, Alan.The Jazz Singer (film)
  
• Yezierska, Anzia. Bread Givers (NUS Co-op)
• Jeyaretnam, Philip. Abraham's Promise (NUS Co-op).
• Philip Jeyaretnam.
• Materials from PoCo theory.
• Tay, Simon. Stand Alone. Singapore: Landmark, 1990. (Course Reader)
• Thumboo, Edwin. Poems. Memories and Desires: A Poetic History of Singapore. Ed. Robbie Goh. Singapore: UniPress, 1998. 62-74. (Course Packet).
• Lee Tzu Pheng. Poems. Memories and Desires: A Poetic History of Singapore. Ed. Robbie Goh. Singapore: UniPress, 1998. 10-17. (Course Packet).
• Lee Tzu Pheng. "The Merlion to Ulysses." Lambada by Galilee & other surprises. Singapore : Times Books International, 1997. 8-9.
• Alfian Bin Sa'at."The Merlion."
• Alfred Tennyson."Ulysses"
• Lee Tzu Pheng. "A Postscript to 'My Country and My People." Our Place In Time: Exploring Heritage and Memory in Singapore. Ed. Kwok Kian-Woon et. al. Singapore: Singapore Heritage Society, 1999. 20. (Course packet).
• Devan, Janadas . "My Country and My People: Forgetting to Remember." Our Place In Time: Exploring Heritage and Memory in Singapore. Ed. Kwok Kian-Woon et. al. Singapore: Singapore Heritage Society, 1999. 21-33. (Course packet).

Secondary Material (in the Reading Room)

• The Oxford Companion to US History
• A People's History of the US

Assessment

• Participation: 10%. Learning takes effort. You will be expected to participate in class discussions, and to prepare for discussions by participating in the class discussion forum.
• Presentation: 10%. You are responsible for presenting and teaching a topic to the entire class once during the semester. The purpose is to give you experience working with a large group, as well as to cover important contextual material. For more information see presentations.
• First Paper: 20%. This paper is a close reading of a passage. 3 pages.
• Second Paper: 20%. Another close reading. 3 pages.
• Final Paper: 40 %. We have a tremendous opportunity in this module to contribute to the The Literature, Culture, and Society of Singapore web. You should write your paper with the goal of web publication. The paper should develop a very focused argument involving close readings of a text from the latter half of the module. 6-8 pages.

Grading

Your final grade will be calculated from the grades you receive on your essays and exams, with consideration given to your active participation in seminars, and your timely completion of assignments. I will not accept late work for grading.

In general, in your writing you should strive to:

• find a genuine question to address;
• convey why this question is worth asking (motive);
• indicate in the first several paragraophs how you'll answer it (thesis);
• argue your case logically using precise evidence from your sources;
• define key terms and concepts;
• write effective sentences that clearly and concisely communicate your thoughts;
• include citations and a "works cited" page that follows MLA documentation style.

A    work possesses all of the above qualities and is a delight to read.
B    work demonstrates most of the above qualities. Still needs polish.
C    work demonstrates less than half of the above qualities.
D or F    work is seriously deficient.

Attendance

Prompt attendance at class meetings is mandatory. You are allowed two unexcused absences. A third absence will require you to offer an explanation to the Dean of the University Scholars Programme. Dismissal from the course or a failing grade may result. A few excused absences due to illness, family crisis and emergencies, or official university events will be permitted if documented to my satisfaction (for instance, a medical certificate, a letter from your parents, or a letter from the Dean of your faculty). If you know in advance that you will be absent for an extended period of time (with the appropriate documentation), please come and talk to me about the problem or situation you are facing.

Students with absences are not excused from the work assigned for a class session. It is your responsibility to contact me by email, by phone, or by appointment, to make up anything you have missed.

Deadlines

Because this module is a planned sequence of writing, and all the essays build on each other, you must write all three essays on schedule. Thus, all deadlines in the module are firm: I will not accept late work for grading. If you have a legitimate reason for missing a deadline, contact me before the due date of the assignment, providing the necessary documentation--from your doctor in the case of a medical emergency; your parents in the case of a family emergency; or the Dean of your Faculty in the case of other university commitments. Falling behind may warrant exclusion from the course if there is not a legitimate medical or family emergency.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is an extremely serious offense that can result in failure of the assignment and even the course. Anytime you use someone else's ideas or writing without proper acknowledgment, or use one of your own papers to satisfy the requirements of more that one module, you are plagiarizing. Please review the University Scholars Programme Academic Honour Code, and familiarize yourself with the Penalties for Academic Code Violation.