This class begins circa 1840 with the entrance into the English language of the term individualism to describe a uniquely modern--and American--political institution. "Individualism" persists as a defining mythos of American culture, although its meaning has been subjected to innumerable revisions and critiques. In reading poetry, fiction, and non-fiction essays that engage individualism, we will endeavor to move beyond the binary of the individual versus society in order to figure out: a) how individuality is conceived at different moments in time and according to various authors; and b) what problems, paradoxes, and exclusions the term may contain. In particular, we will examine the implicitly racial and gendered assumptions that have contributed to certain dominant ideals of American individuality, even as we explore the concept's persistent allure.

Authors may include: Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Nella Larsen, Willa Cather, John Dewey, Ralph Ellison, Flannery O’Connor, Allen Ginsberg, David Foster Wallace, and Jhumpa Lahiri.

This will be a reading intensive class: students should be prepared to devote substantial time and effort each week to careful reading of course texts. Assessment will be based on a combination of: participation in class discussion and small group work; frequent, brief written responses to assigned readings; take-home exams; and formal academic writing.