Literature of the U.S. II: Faces of Modern America

English 159:001
Professor Patrick Horrigan
Spring 2007
Mondays & Wednesdays 4:30-5:45 pm

Between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the first World War, the United States transformed itself from an isolated, primarily agrarian nation into an industrialized, increasingly influential world power. Today it is the embattled, self-proclaimed leader in the global "war on terror." Using images from the recently re-opened American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, the course will chart these historical developments by looking closely at some important, modern American novels, stories, poems, films, and works of nonfiction, many of which deal with the question of portraiture (how do you represent an individual human being?) and the related enigma of American identity (what does it mean to be an "American"?). Major texts will include Henry James' "The Real Thing," Gertrude Stein's word portraits, Alain Locke's anthology The New Negro, Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane, James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, and Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate. Throughout the semester, students will compose critical as well as creative texts in response to the material. They will also give in-class presentations.

English Majors: Please contact your English Department faculty advisor to register as early as possible for the upper-division English classes you need. Doing so will help ensure that courses are not canceled and that you don't have to scramble to find replacement courses at the last minute. You may also contact Wayne Berninger at 718 780 4328 or via e-mail at wayne.berninger@liu.edu.  Below you will find descriptions of the upper-division courses being offered in Spring 2007. Be sure to check the requirements for your particular concentration (i.e., Creative Writing, Literature, or Writing & Rhetoric).

Non-English Majors: The writing and analytical skills that students gain in English classes are very useful in a variety of professional careers. So even if you are not an English major, you can take upper-division English courses-as long as you have already completed English 16, Core Seminar, and two core literature classes (from English 61-64). If you really want to build up your transcript, consider a minor in English, which consists of any four courses numbered 100 or above. If you'd like more information about minoring in English—or if you think you might like to major in English—contact Wayne Berninger at 718 780 4328 or via e-mail at wayne.berninger@liu.edu.