COURSE UNIT TITLE

: IMMIGRANT LITERATURE

DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
AKE 5016 IMMIGRANT LITERATURE ELECTIVE 3 0 0 7

Offered By

American Culture and Literature

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

PROFESSOR DOCTOR NILSEN GÖKÇEN ULUK

Offered to

American Culture and Literature

Course Objective

This course is designed to introduce to the student a significant part of American history and social makeup as a nation of immigrants and ethnic components regarded by a range of metaphors ranging from the "melting pot" to the "kaleidoscope." At the end of this course, in addition to an understanding of the intricate and intimate relations between race, class, and gender, the students are expected develop an understanding of the (shifting) margins and center(s) of American culture, relations between ethnic groups and the mainstream culture as well as interrelations among ethnic groups.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Become familiar with the variety of the literary, cultural and critical texts on ethnicity and immigration,
2   Grasp the experience of immigration and migration as an essential part of the history of mankind in general and of the US in particular,
3   Learn the development of and apply the theories of ethnicity,
4   Comprehend the cultural, economic, legal and historical background of immigration to the US,
5   Develop sensibilities towards issues pertaining to immigration, ethnicity, cultural/racial/gender minorities, and center-margin relationships,
6   Discern through major works of American literature the multiplicity of narratives underlying and often challenging the official version of American history and culture,
7   Analyze and coherently synthesize literary texts in which stories of immigration are portrayed and presented,
8   Develop sensibilities to differences in their own cultures.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 European Backgrounds: Oscar Handlin, The Uprooted, Peasant Origins, "The Crossing," "The Daily Bread." Thomas Sowell, Ethnic America, "Americans from Europe" Paula S. Rothenberg, Race,Class, and Gender in the United States Student Presentation: Crevecoeur, "Letters from an American Farmer," ed. Hutner, Cahan, "The Imported Bridegroom." Class Discussion
2 Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives Student Presentation: Rothenberg Part I, II Class Discussion
3 Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror, Part I and II. Sowell, "Americans from Asia" Student Presentation: Rothenberg Part and III, IV Cahan, Yekl Class Discussion
4 Handlin, "New Worlds, New Visions," "Religion as a Way of Life," "The Ghettos," "In Fellow Feeling," "Democracy and Power." Sowell, "Americans from Latin America" Takaki, Part III Student Presentation: Rothenberg Part V, VI Cahan, "A Sweatshop Romance." Class Discussion
5 Handlin, "Generations," "The Shock of Alienation," "Restriction," "Promises." Takaki, Part IV. Student Presentation: Rothenberg, Part VII, VIII Class Discussion
6 Richard H. Thompson, Theories of Ethnicity, "Introduction: Ethnicity and Human Nature," "In Genes We Trust," "Primordial Versus Civil Ties: The Dialectic between Ethnicity and the State." Werner Sollors, Beyond Ethnicity, "Beyond Ethnicity," "Melting Pots." Student Presentation: Thompson, "Assimilation and Its Discontents: Race, Class and the New Ethnicity," Class Discussion
7 Sollors, "Romantic Love, Arranged Marriage, and Indian Melancholy," "Interlude: From Indian to Urban," "Some Tales of Consent and Descent." Thompson, "Epilogue: Theoretical Worldviews and Theoretical Choice." Student Presentation: Roediger, Wages of Whiteness, Part I Erdrich, Love Medicine. Class Discussion
8 Class Discussion Class Discussion
9 Sollors, "The Ethics of Wholesome Provincialism," "First Generation, Second Generation, Third Generation . . .: The Cultural Construction of Descent." David Hollinger, PostethnicAmerica, "Introduction," "Haley's Choice and Ethno-racial Pentagon," "From Species to Ethnos." Student Presentation: Roediger, Wages of Whiteness, Part II Class Discussion
10 Sollors, "Ethnicity and Literary Form," "Conclusion." Hollinger, "Pluralism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Diversification of Diversity," "Towards a Postethnic Perspective." Student Presentation: Roediger, Wages of Whiteness, Part III and IV. Class Discussion
11 Hollinger, "Epilogue." Jacobson, "Introduction," "The Political History of Whiteness, "History, Race and Perception." Student Presentation: Erdrich, Love Medicine. Roediger, Working towards Whiteness, Part I Class Discussion
12 Jacobson, "The Manufacture of Caucasians," "Epilogue." Student Presentation: Roediger, Working towards Whiteness, Part II Jen, "Who is Irish " Class Discussion
13 George Lipsitz, The Possessive Investment in Whiteness "Introduction," "The Possessive Investment in Whiteness," "Immigrant Labor and Identity Politics," "Whiteness and War." Student Presentation: Roediger, Working towards Whiteness, Part III- IV Jen, "Who is Irish " Class Discussion
14 Wrap up Wrap up

Recomended or Required Reading

Theory and History:
Thomas Sowell, Ethnic America
Oscar Handlin, The Uprooted
Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives
Paula S. Rothenberg, Race,Class, and Genderin the United States
Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror
Richard H. Thompson, Theories of Ethnicity
Werner Sollors, Beyond Ethnicity
David Hollinger, PostethnicAmerica
David R. Roediger, The Wages of Whiteness
---., Working towards Whiteness
George Lipsitz, The Possessive Investment in Whiteness
Matthew Frye Jacobson, Whiteness of a Different Color
Fiction and Biography:
Gordon Hutner, Immigrant Voices
Abraham Cahan, The Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories
Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine
Gish Jen, Who is Irish
Supplementary Reading:
David R. Roediger, Colored White: Transcending the Racial Past
Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White
Theodore W. Allen, The Invention of the White Race

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture
Discussion
Text Analysis
Student Presentations

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 FIN FINAL EXAM
3 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE * 0.50 + FIN* 0.50
4 RST RESIT
5 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE * 0.50 + RST* 0.50


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Either the midterm or the final of this course will involve writing a research paper. The minimum criteria in the evaluation of this assignment will be the sensibleness and coherence of the argument, fluency of the development of ideas and thoughts, the quality and range of research, the intellectual level of the analyses and syntheses of the sources, their integration to the main idea, and the success in the accuracy, fluency in the idiomatic usage of language. The latest version of the MLA documentation style shall be employed in the research paper. The Wrks Cited must include at least ten secondary sources. Study aids such as Cliffsnotes, Sparksnotes will not be accepted as part of the Works Cited.
The minimum criteria for the in-class exam with essay type questions include the logical associations with the question, coherence and consistency in the unfolding and development of the idea(s), and the accurate and fluent usage of language.
In the presentations the minimum criteria for evaluation are an overall command of material, clarity and succinctness of verbal expression, organization of thoughts and ideas, timing, and the knowledgeableness of the presenting student in answering questions in the ensuing discussion.
In order to be able to follow class discussions and lectures, the students must read the required material for the week. Each student is thus expected to be ready to participate in an intellectually stimulating discussion of the texts. In addition, s/he is expected to establish ties between the present and previously introduced material in order to be able to develop a wider perspective on underlying issues.
In the quizzes, the questions are tailored to evaluate the student s class preparation for the day; therefore, they will be based on facts in rather than interpretations of the assigned materials.
In all sorts of exams, personal interpretations must be supported by facts and fact-based knowledge on the part of the student.
The grade from class participation will be earned based on the intellectual level of the student s class participation in discussions.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

Any attempt at plagiarism at research papers will result in failure in this course and start a legal process against the student.
The minimum attendance requirement for this class is 70 %.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Address:Faculty of Letters Building Office A 220
Phone: (232) 301 86 78
E-mail: gokcenils@yahoo.com

Office Hours

By appointment.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 13 3 39
Preparation for midterm exam 1 9 9
Preparation for final exam 1 9 9
Preparation for quiz etc. 3 3 9
Preparing assignments 1 10 10
Preparing presentations 1 10 10
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 13 7 91
Final 1 3 3
Midterm 1 2 2
Quiz etc. 3 1 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 185

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

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LO.455555
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LO.655555555555
LO.755555555555
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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Phone: +90(232) 412 12 12 - Fax: +90 (232) 464 81 35

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