Syllabus

Schedule

Updated July 29, 2001
© Mark Canada, 2001
mark.canada@uncp.edu
 

Introduction

The combination should not surprise us.  Literature and journalism, after all, have much in common, as each seeks to capture the human experience in words.  Indeed, it seems quite natural that someone gifted in writing--a Willa Cather, say--should find success in journalism and then parlay this talent into success in literature.  Newspaper staffs are notoriously full of reporters dreaming of writing the Great American Novel.  Still, the connection is also a tricky, even dangerous one.  Writers of novels and short stories are allowed to use both fact and fiction, perhaps finding inspiration in a real person and then massaging the details to make a good story or capture what they see as the "truth."  Reporters, on the other hand, must stick to the facts--whatever the "truth" might be.  At least, that is what readers--and editors--expect of them.  When one crosses the line, as Janet Cook infamously did in the early 1980s, the repercussions can be devastating.

When such intimately linked and necessarily distinct fields come together, they provoke some fascinating questions, among them: How did journalism shape the literary styles of those American writers who worked in it?  What material did it provide for those writers?  How and why did they make the leap from reporting facts to inventing fiction?  How many other journalists have made the same leap without being detected?  What is a fact?  What is the truth?  And what's the difference?

Professor Mark Canada
118 Dial Building
ETL Department
UNC-Pembroke
mark.canada@uncp.edu
(910) 521-6431
Office hours: MW 4-5 p.m.
 

At Home

In 1992, I left journalism to attend graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Although I am now an English professor specializing in early American literature and the English language, I still draw extensively on my experience in journalism, employing my skills in writing, editing, and graphic design as I teach writing, write and edit scholarly material, and manage an online publication called All American: Literature, History, and Culture.

My journalism experience has even seeped into my personal life.  In another online publication, called simply The Canadas, I regularly try to capture and share some of the special moments I spend with my wife, Lisa, and our two children, 3-year-old daughter Esprit and newborn son Will.
 

Antebellum America
William Cullen Bryant
A.B. Longstreet
Edgar Allan Poe
Margaret Fuller
Frederick Douglass
Walt Whitman
Rebecca Harding Davis

Postbellum America
Mark Twain
William Dean Howells
Joel Chandler Harris
Bret Harte
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Stephen Crane
William Sidney Porter
Theodore Dreiser
Jack London
Upton Sinclair

Modern America
Ernest Hemingway
Willa Cather
John Dos Passos
Carl Sandburg
Eugene O'Neill
Richard Wright
Eudora Welty
Truman Capote
Joan Didion
Tom  Wolfe
Janet Cooke
Steven Glass

The manner in which you contribute to this anthology will depend on whether you are taking this course as a literature emphasis (ENG 516) or a literacy emphasis (ENG 525).  If you have enrolled in ENG 516, you will complete an index, a period headnote, an author headnote, and a reflective essay.  If you have enrolled in ENG 525, you will complete an index, a period headnote, a creative project, and a reflective essay.  In either case, you will post all of your work on the World Wide Web in the form of an online portfolio.

1. Index:  Many visitors to our online anthology will want to know something about the people who conducted the research and wrote the articles.  Your index page will be similar to the "Contributors' Notes" that appear in some books.  It should include your name and a brief professional profile, along with a link to your permanent e-mail address. Draft due: July 9, 2001. 
2. Period Headnote:  In an essay of about 1,000 words, describe the general character of journalism in either colonial America, antebellum America, postbellum America, or modern America.  Provide basic facts (number and contents of newspapers, graphic appearance of publications, and so on), as well as interpretive information (purpose and motivation of journalism, style of reporting, keys to success, and so on).  This essay must include observations from at least two primary sources and two secondary sources, all cited in an accompanying list of works cited.  Finally, include a sidebar that lists notable journalists and leading newspapers of the period, a chronology or important events related to journalism, and an annotated bibliography of at least two resources where readers can find additional information.  Draft due: July 11, 2001.
3. Author Headnote (ENG 516):  Choose an author from the list at the left.  In an essay of about 2,000 words, summarize this author's life and work, focusing on his or her literature and journalism.  Specifically, state and develop a claim about the ways literature and journalism come together in the author's writing.  Here are some questions to consider: How did journalism shape the content or style of the writer's literary work?  Why did the writer turn from journalism to literature or from literature to journalism?  How did the writer manage facts, fiction, and "truth"?  Was the writer primarily a journalist, a novelist, or a poet at heart?  Support your claim with evidence from the writer's work, as well as relevant findings from other researchers.  Specifically, the list of works cited should include the titles of at least two primary sources and at least five secondary sources.  Include a sidebar listing the writer's major literary works, as well as important details about his or her family, homes, and occupations; if possible, link the titles in this sidebar to online texts at credible Internet sites.  This sidebar also must contain a chronology of the writer's life and an annotated bibliography of at least two credible, thorough secondary sources on the writer.  Finally, create a small study guide to one of the writer's major literary works; this study guide should include publication information about the work and at least five study questions designed to help readers understand the work's style, themes, and journalistic qualities.  Draft Due: On the day when we are scheduled to discuss your author, you should have posted a substantial draft of your project.  You then will be responsible for leading our discussion of this writer in class.  You may use your study guide, along with group activities, discussion prompts, visual or audio aids, or anything else that you think will help us to explore this writer's literary journalism.
4. Creative Project (ENG 525): Choose a meaningful event, such as a family vacation, a church event, a birthday party for one of your children, or an event in your community.  Using material gathered from interviews, observations, and research, write a 2,000-word article or story that recreates this event for a general audience.  Use what you have learned about the techniques of the various literary journalists we have studied in this course. Draft due: July 18, 2001.  On a prearranged day, you will give a presentation to the class on your work.  You may use your group activities, discussion prompts, visual or audio aids, or anything else that you think will help us to explore the process of creating a piece of literary journalism.
5. Reflective Essay: In an essay of about 500 words, define literary journalism.  Drawing on our class discussions, as well as your own discoveries while analyzing or writing literary journalism, discuss the ways these two fields intersect.  I hope to use your observations in the introduction I will write for the anthology.  Draft due: July 30, 2001. 

A (90-100 percent)

B (80-89 percent)

C (70-79 percent)

D (60-69 percent)

F (below 60 percent)

• The student's work contains a glaring example of plagiarism.
• The student's work does not meet the requirements of the assignment, such as number of sources or deadline.
• The student's work contains glaring deficiencies, indicating that the student is unprepared to meet future challenges.

1. Content: The project should thoroughly and insightfully address its subject with accurate, credible, timely, and relevant information. If the project is supposed to be argumentative, it should state a clear, substantive, contestable, and precise claim early and support this claim with appropriate evidence.
2. Clarity: The project should present information in a clear, logical fashion. In particular, each paragraph generally should begin with a precise topic sentence, followed by clear, well-organized sentences that support the topic sentence. The writer should use transitional words and phrases effectively to guide the reader through the information.
3. Readability: The project should engage the reader with lively, concise writing and should generally lack typographical errors, as well as lapses in tone, register, punctuation, mechanics, spelling, word choice, and grammar.  The project should effectively incorporate source material with proper use of attribution, paraphrases, and quotations.  Longer projects should begin with engaging introductions and include satisfying conclusions.
4. Format: Parenthetical citations and the bibliography or list of works cited should conform to MLA style. The project also should have an attractive, professional appearance and should conform to any particular format requirements described on the syllabus. 

Objectives

Ideas: As we read work in both fields, we will explore many of the ideas expressed in them and examine how the literary form shapes the meaning.

Research: One of the most valuable skills you will develop in graduate school is the ability to gather detailed, reliable information.  In this course, you will become familiar with some standard literary reference works and practice finding, evaluating, and incorporating sources. 

Communication: As you work on your portfolio, you will develop not only your writing skills, but also your ability to make effective use of technology.

Supplies

• Preparation:  Before you can succeed, you need to prepare.  Indeed, preparation is the single most important key to success, not only in this class, but in college and in life.  You already have taken the first step by reading this syllabus.  Take a few minutes every few weeks to review this syllabus, which describes not only the assignments, but also my criteria for grading them.  An equally important form of preparation is reading the lesson plan that accompanies each unit.  Several days before coming to class each week, come here to the syllabus and click on the link to that week's unit.  Read the lesson plan carefully, preparing yourself to meet the objectives and to learn the terms described there.  Read any other assignments, as well, and take notes on everything.  Come to class ready to learn.  Finally, review the lesson plan at the end of the week to make sure you have met the objectives and learned the terms.
• Participation:  Once you are prepared to learn, you also need to show up for class and to participate in class exercises and discussions.  Although I do not require attendance in this course, I urge you to attend class regularly and to participate actively in class activities.  Indeed, research shows that active participation dramatically increases the amount a person learns.  If you are shy, take some steps toward becoming more vocal.  During class, volunteer to report on group activities and try to make at least one comment or ask one question during class.
• Physical Health:  Your mind is part of your body.  It should come as no surprise, then, that good physical health can improve your learning and your grades.  Studies have suggested that eating breakfast can improve test performance, that protein can boost alertness, and that exercise can help a person think effectively.  I suggest drinking 8-10 glasses of water each day, avoiding junk food and caffeine, exercising at least a half-hour each day, and maintaining a consistent schedule of seven to nine hours of sleep every night.  To unwind, I prefer music to television, which tends to eat up time and besides is generally inane and annoying. 
• Politeness:  Your grades depend primarily on your performance.  Nevertheless, being polite is good practice for life after college and can help you establish a good rapport with your professors.  Show up for class and conferences on time and wait until class has ended before packing up your books.  Turn in assignments when they are due and avoid making excuses for absences or poor work.
• Quality: Nothing impresses a teacher or an employer more than work that shines not only in content, but in form.  Invest the time and energy into submitting assignments of which you can be proud. For starters, read each assignment carefully and try to provide exactly what the professor requests.  In addition to researching, writing, revising, and proofreading your work carefully, follow instructions on format, such as use of correct bibliographic citations.
• Questions:  When you need information or help, ask. For example, if you have problems coming to class, keeping up with assignments, or using the computer, see me immediately.  The following statement comes from Disability Support Services: "Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester (preferably within the first class week) as possible.  All discussions will remain confidential."