Course Descriptions

ENG 204 - American Literature Since 1865

3 Credits

A survey of American literature from the Civil War to the present, focusing on the changing values of an increasingly technological society. Includes the major literary philosophies of the time through writers such as Hemingway, Faulkner, O’Connor, Yamamoto, Baraka, Morrison, and Bechdel. Students will reflect critically on literature, evaluate and acknowledge the possibilities and limitations of the authors’ worldviews, and construct arguments about the texts using evidence from primary and secondary sources.

Prerequisite(s): English 101 with a C or better, placement into English 200, or instructor permission.

New SUNY General Education: SUNY - Critical Thinking and Reasoning Competency, SUNY - Humanities

Retiring SUNY General Education: SUNY-H - Humanities (SHUM)

MCC General Education: MCC-AH - Arts and Humanities (MAH)

Course Learning Outcomes
1. Analyze American literature written from the aftermath of the Civil War through current times.
2. Describe the relationships between various movements (such as Realism, Naturalism, Modernism, and/or Postmodernism) and the literature of the period.
3. Interpret literature as it relates to its historical, cultural, and/or political context.
4. Explain the complex social and cultural interactions of gender, sexuality, religion, race, and/or class represented in American literature
5. Interpret literary works using critical perspectives.
6. Write a thesis-driven essay using primary and secondary sources.
7. Apply the appropriate formal conventions when writing about literature.

Course Offered Spring

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Fall Semester 2024
Spring Semester 2024
Summer Session 2024