EL230: American Literature

EL230: American Literature
TMA: Spring Semester 2016 - 2017
TMA: 20 points
[Prepared by Course Chair: Dr. Hoda Khallaf]


Format and Word Count:
The student’s work should be presented in an ESSAY of around 1800 words.
Referencing:
The essay should include a list of references (print and electronic) at the end in addition to in-text referencing as per the requirements of the Harvard Referencing System. Proper referencing is a serious academic requirement and skill and will be rewarded accordingly.

Discussion Topic:

Let America rejoice, thy standard rear,
Let the loud trumpet animate to war:
Thy guardian Genius, haste thee on thy way,
To strike whole hosts with terror and dismay.
Happy some land, which all for freedom gave,
Happier the men whom their own virtues save;
Thrice happy we who long attacks have stood,
And swam to Liberty thro’ seas of blood;
The time shall come when strangers rule no more,
Nor cruel mandates vex from Britain’s shore:
When Commerce shall extend her short’ned wing.
And her free freights from every climate bring;
When mighty towns shall flourish free and great.
Vast their dominion, opulent their state:
When one vast cultivated region teems,
From ocean’s edge to Mississippi’s streams;
While each enjoys his vineyard’s peaceful shade,
And even the meanest has no cause to dread;
Such is the life our foes with envy see,
Such is the godlike glory to be free.

From “American Liberty” by Philip Freneau, 1775.

In no less and no more than 1800 words, discuss the lines above by Philip Freneau. How do these lines link to the ideas presented by Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” [pp.324-331 in the Anthology]? And how were the conditions described by both Freneau and Paine referred to and resolved in Thomas Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” [pp. 340-344 in the Anthology]?

Here are guiding [not mandatory] points of discussion:
- Introduce Philip Freneau, “The Poet of the Revolution”
- Explain the points of argument in the quoted lines from “American Liberty”
- Make a list of the reasons Paine presents to convince his readers of the Revolutionary cause.
- Do Paine and Freneau share similar thoughts?
- What is the main argument of the “Declaration of Independence”?
- What are the reasons Jefferson claims are behind this act of independence?
- What are the expected rewards of the declared independence? Do they match the vision of America Freneau created in the quoted lines?

NOTE: Evidence of consulting e-library sources will be an added asset.
The following are guidelines on plagiarism:
If you submit an assignment that contains work other than yours without acknowledging your sources, you are committing plagiarism. This might occur when:
• Using a sentence or phrase that you have come across
• Copying word-for-word directly from a text
• Paraphrasing the words from the text very closely
• Using text downloaded from the Internet
• Borrowing statistics or assembled fact from another person or source
• Copying or downloading figures, photographs, pictures or diagrams without acknowledging your sources
• Copying from the notes or essays of a fellow student
(Slightly adapted from OU document on quoting versus plagiarism)
It is important to remember that plagiarism is strictly barred and would be subject to punitive action by the Arab Open University.
TMA Marking Descriptor

GRADE CONTENT LANGUAGE & ORGANIZATION
A


(18-20) Excellent answers showing confident and wide-ranging knowledge of core material, good understanding of any relevant theory, and a capacity to address the question in a structural, direct and effective way, thoughtfully and with insight. Originality of thought or ideas from outside the course are an added asset. Examples are to the point. - Has an introduction defining plan of essay.
- Body divided into several paragraphs
- Conclusion which directly relates arguments to topic.
- Evidence that essay has been edited.
- Error-free grammar & register.
- Wide range of specialized terminology.
- Consistent in-text citation and form of referencing
B to B+


(16-17) Very good answers showing secure knowledge of course materials. Adopting an analytical approach and providing relevant discussion covering most of the key issues. Distinguished from A answers by being less insightful or by showing less comprehensive knowledge of the course. - First four criteria above maintained
- Demonstrates extensive grammar control.
- Terminology specialized but less varied.
- Minor Inconsistency in in-text citation and referencing
C to C+


(14-15) Competent answers reflecting adequate knowledge of the more directly relevant course material and concepts, with reasonable structure and adequate coherence related to the question set. - Introduction and/or conclusion short but still satisfactory.
- Evidence of editing.
- Less grammar control than above.
- Good range of specialized terminology.
- Inconsistent in in-text citation and referencing
D



(10-13)


Answers which omit some concepts /evidence and/or lack coherence /structure, and/or make minor errors while still demonstrating basic understanding. Or Bare pass answers which show awareness of some relevant material and attempt to relate it to the question. - Introduction and/or conclusion short but acceptable.
- no evidence of editing.
- Few grammatical errors that impede communication.
- Above average range of specialized terminology.
- Slightly confused introduction and/or conclusion, but body still fair.
- No evidence of editing.
- Some error types that impede communication.
- Fair range of specialized terminology.
- Inaccurate in-text citation and referencing
F

Below
10 Answers which attempt to draw upon relevant material but do not reflect sufficient knowledge of the course and/or neglect the focus required by the question, and/or are incomplete in some important aspects whilst being acceptable in others. - No introduction and /or no conclusion.
- Body badly organized or irrelevant.
- Poor grammar control (extremely limited range of grammar & register).
- Limited or not specialized range of terminology.
- No in-text citations and no referencing