Professor Rachel S. Cordasco
Lecture: TR 9:30-10:45am in Psychology 113
Email: cordasco AT wisc DOT edu
Office: 6191 Helen C. White Hall
Office Hours: T 12:00-2:00pm, Espresso Royale (650 State St)
Teaching Assistants: Paul Hansen, Emily Madsen, Kevin Mullen, Christopher Rogers
What does it mean to be an "American" and to call America our home? How have American writers conceptualized national identity in relation to our former mother-land, Europe, and beyond? In what ways has this country adapted to changing circumstances brought about by war, mass immigration, and globalization? How do we conceptualize borders and boundaries? In this course, we will address all of these questions and more by reading and discussing texts ranging from colonial American prose and poetry to present-day novels and plays, along with learning about the historical contexts in which these texts were written. Furthermore, we will consider the roles that music, film, and the visual arts play in the formation of national identity. In general, we will focus on how America has engaged with issues of national identity, immigration, foreign policy, and related issues throughout its existence to understand what America means to us today.
Required Texts (available at the University Book Store)
- The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Shorter 7th Edition)
- de Burton, The Squatter and the Don (Arte Publico Press)
- Cahan, The Rise of David Levinsky (Penguin Classics)
- Wilson, Fences (Samuel French)
- Ng, Bone (Hyperion)
Grade Distribution
| Participation: | 20% |
| Paper 1: | 15% |
| Midterm: | 20% |
| Paper 2: | 25% |
| Final Exam: | 20% |