Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon; 1907) by Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)
Fall 2009
T/Th 2:00-3:20PM
Kimpel Hall Room 312
Professor Lisa Hinrichsen
English Department
Office Kimpel Hall, Room 231
Office: 479-575-4694
Email: lhinrich@uark.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday 11:30-2pm , or by appointment
Course Overview
This course will survey modern and contemporary American literature. Issues and themes we will discuss may include, but are not limited to the following: experiments in form and style; literature and the sister arts; gender and sexuality; the role of large-scale violence in shaping literature; the natural world and technology; paranoia; capitalism; and the relationship between high and low art. We will examine how American literature responds to the events of the twentieth century and how it interacts—or fails to interact—with race, ethnicity, class, politics, gender, and history.
Blog Contributions
Throughout the semester, we will be using a blog (english2353fall2009.blogspot.com, note no “www”) as forum for responding and analyzing the novels we will be reading. In addition to in-class participation, your contributions to this blog will be assessed as part of your final grade. I will also be using the blog as a way to make class announcements, post handouts or sample papers, describe assignments, and respond to questions.
My expectations are that you will contribute to this blog with the same degree of respect, thoughtfulness, and intellect that you use in making oral contributions to class discussion. Please "attend" this blog regularly between our class meetings and contribute a minimum of once a week. Response dates will be assigned in class and all responses must be completed and uploaded by 9pm the night before class so that other students can read and think about your responses before we meet. You must identify your posts either with your name or an identifiable version of your name (e.g., "Sally H."). Please let me know if you have any questions.
