American Crazy: Four Myths of Violence and National Identity (FYS)
ENGL 150F
Fall 2026
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01
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Among the industrialized nations of the world, the United States has long had unusually high levels of crime, violence, and imprisonment. This course will explore five especially prominent cultural explanations for American violence. We will consider the origins of these explanations in American myth and history, and we will investigate their appearance in literary expression, journalistic reporting, popular culture, and social science. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ENGL |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 | | Special Attributes: FYS |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
James M. Cain, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
Truman Capote, IN COLD BLOOD
James Fenimore Cooper, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS
Frederick Douglass, NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE
Harriet Jacobs, INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL
Zora Neale Hurston, THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD
Simon Ortiz, FROM SAND CREEK
Harriet Beecher Stowe, UNCLE TOM'S CABIN
Richard Wright, UNCLE TOM'S CHILDREN
additional readings posted on Moodle
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Examinations and Assignments:
3 short papers, midterm and final exam |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Contributes to fulfillment of ENGL major requirements: elective |
| Instructor(s): McCann,Sean Times: .M.W... 10:50AM-12:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 0 | JR major: 0 | | |
| Seats Available: 15 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 0 | SO: 0 | FR: 15 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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