ENGL 341 American Realism and Naturalism

A study of the major writers of American Realism and Naturalism (1865-1930): Twain, James, Chopin, Crane, Dreiser and others. Research paper required.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Course Guide

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*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.


The study of American literature from the end of the American Civil War to the conclusion of World War I helps the student to understand and appreciate the cultural, social, economic, philosophical, religious, and literary heritage of the United States from 1865-1930.


Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a post in response to the provided topic for each discussion. Each post must be 350–400 words in length and demonstrate course related knowledge. In addition to the post, the student is required to reply to 1 other classmate’s post for 2 discussions. The reply must be 250–400 words in length. The student is required to cite sources using current MLA formatting.  (CLO C, D, E)

Essay Assignments (2)

Essay topics must be selected from the provided list. The Realism Genre Essay Assignment must be 4–6 pages in length and must have 1 primary source with at least 3 secondary sources. The Author Worldview Essay Assignment must be 8–10 pages in length and must cite at least 1 primary sources with at least 7 secondary sources. Current MLA formatting is required. (CLO A, B, D, E)

Reading Quizzes (14)

Each quiz will correspond to the reading assignments, be open-book/open-notes, contain 5-10 multiple-choice or true/false questions, have a time limit of 5-10 minutes, and allow 2 attempts. The attempt with the highest score will be graded. (CLO A, B, C, D, E)

Unit Quizzes (2)

The quizzes will cover the Learn material. Each quiz will contain multiple-choice and/or essay questions. The quizzes are open-book/open-notes with time limits of 1 hour and 30 minutes each. (CLO A, B, C, D, E)


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