ENGL 2141 American Literary History I
Students need not take these courses in chronological order. Fulfills the pre-1900 requirement. American Literary History 1 follows the development of American literary history from the landing of the Mayflower to the tumultuous decade of the 1850s, moving from such early writers as Bradstreet, Rowlandson and Taylor through such writers of the Revolution and Early Republic as Equiano, Franklin, and Rowson to such antebellum writers as Child, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Poe, Douglass, Whitman, and Melville. Course assignments include regular participation in class discussions, mid-semester and final examinations, and either one ten-page or two five-page essay (s). Students considering careers in secondary English education will be given the option of writing about approaches to teaching course texts.
Course overview
- Department
- English
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Periodically
Requirements fulfilled
- English: Earlier literatures in English: eighteenth- or nineteenth-century literature, 1700-1900 (one course, 3 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Earlier literatures in English: medieval or early-modern literature, before 1700 (one course, 3 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Major electives (five courses, 15 credits) from department offerings (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Race, Blackness, and Language requirement (one course) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.36 / 5 · Very Good
- Instructor rating
- 4.65 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 4
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | Marla Derosa | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4–6 hrs/week | 19 of 20 |
| Spring 2025 | Marla Derosa | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 1–3 hrs/week | 20 of 20 |
| Fall 2023 | Marla Derosa | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | — | 18 of 21 |
| Fall 2021 | Christy Pottroff | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4–6 hrs/week | 13 of 20 |