LNG 373 | Southern Literature | Syllabus
"Tell about the South. What's it like there. What do they do there. Why do they live there. Why do they live at all."
--William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom!
Objective: Like everything else Southern, this course will be simpler than you think and more complicated than you imagine. We will explore the works of the greatest Southern writers and examine the various ways they reveal and discuss the traditions, customs, culture, nature, mindset, beauty, and tragedy of the South. In short, we will use art to try and understand the place and time we all live in, if the South can even be called a place or a time.
Central, Course-driving Question: If there is a "South," what is it?
Fair Game for Discussion: Works from the attached reading list, art, music, politics, folklore, myths, geography, history, and anything else that ties us together—like it or not.
Grading: We will use a simple point system in this course. For example, we will have 2 major essays (100 points), 2 research projects with presentations (100), 2 smaller essays (50), 4 novel guides (50), appx. 8 one-page "My South" extemporaneous pieces (20), and whatever else that seems like a good idea.
Bottom-line requirement: This is a heavy reading and discussion class. SO DO THE READING. If you won't seriously consider the multitude of issues connected with what is quite possibly one of the world's most interesting regions, you won't get very much from this class. If any subject ever proved the near-worthlessness of multiple-choice tests and rote memorization, this is probably it. So, you will need your minds and voices all semester long. Besides, life isn't really life if you won't participate. Why would education be any different?
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