[English] American Literature: Contextualizing and Comparing American Literature to this Modern Age

Description of the Resource:

One of the goals of this open educational resource project was to make American Literature more accessible to college students. It sets out to supply students with completely free literature, while also instilling many important discussions and theories. The greatest challenge of learning for many students, is simply affording the textbooks for their classes. American Literature courses are notorious for requiring expensive textbooks. When I was a college student, my bookshelves were aligned with Norton Anthologies that cost more than I care to remember.

This OER is an equitable playing field for students to become enriched with American Literature. This OER project also supplies a Canvas course shell with a 16-week lesson plan, prompts for five essays, grading criteria, and in-class writing exams. Each of the five units of study are supplied with study questions as well as relevant writing exercises and group activities. Some of these activities have been handed down to me from other educators who got them from their predecessors. With that said, the authors and literature presented in this text are a beautiful rendering of our American past

How This Resource Integrates Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Principles and Practices:

This OER project attempts to make the literature selected relevant to today’s college student. The core study, along with movements in literary history, is a direct historical comparison that weighs the progress of the present with appreciation of the past. The course asks the tough questions without sacrificing mindfulness, compassion and empathy. This collection of literature offers a unique way to learn about American history, and apply it towards a better future. Most importantly, the literature selected offers a diverse representation of American culture through the mid-1800s and into 20th Century Modernism.