| Detailed Course Description: Exploring the literary foundations of early nationhood, ENGL 677 surveys America’s most iconic authors. During Spring 2012, our course evolves and expands, focusing on a pivotal, yet largely unrecognized, element of U.S. Literature: personal writings by African slaves of Muslim descent, composed during their captivity in America, and authored in Arabic. Aligning canonical writers (e.g. Irving, Emerson) with Muslim Slaves (e.g. ‘Abd ar-Rahman, Ibn Sayyid), ENGL 677 will map the cross-cultural, multi-lingual, and inter-religious contours of America’s first decades. |
| Course Requirements: i) Participation, Weekly Position Papers, Colloquium Presentation: 20% ii) Term paper (15-20 pages): 50% iii) Final Examination: 30% |
