Chapman University
Spring 2014
English 302: Writing about diverse cultures
Instructor Contact Information:
- Ian Barnard, Ph.D.
- Office: 428 N. Glassell #104
- In-Person Office Hours: W 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and by appointment
- Email Office Hours: [email protected]
Course Description:
Student Learning Outcomes for This Course:
you will
Required Texts (available at the University Bookstore):
* = also on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
Other Resources:
* = on Blackboard
Grade Distribution:
Major Assignments:
- Catalog Course Description: Prerequisite: written inquiry. Exploring post-colonial rhetorics, this class sharpens writing skills through the study of writers from diverse and non-Western cultures. Major emphasis, however, is on student writing in response to “other voices.” (3 credits.)
- This section of English 302 will pay particular attention to ethical and political questions around representing the "Other."
- We will emphasize composing as a process. Revision will be an essential part of the work of the class. You’ll develop multiple drafts of your major assignments. Our attention to each others’ work will center around student-facilitated whole-class workshops. You’ll receive oral and written feedback on your assignment drafts from your colleagues and me. Each class member will have the opportunity to have one of her assignments workshopped, and each class member will facilitate a colleague’s workshop. These workshops will give us all the chance to discuss the issues at stake in the projects, to articulate and negotiate our criteria for effective writing and visual rhetoric, and to address and practice a variety of rhetorical strategies in the context of specific student texts.
- This is a GE Global Study Course and Counts Toward the Minor in English and the Minor in Writing and Rhetoric
Student Learning Outcomes for This Course:
you will
- understand the stakes in writing about diverse cultures
- produce thoughtful, critical, and nuanced analyses of diverse cultural practices and texts
- develop skill at reflecting on and refining your own composing practices
Required Texts (available at the University Bookstore):
* = also on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
- Abulhawa, Susan. Mornings in Jenin.
- Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. *
- Coetzee, J. M. Foe.
- Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. 2nd ed.
- Trinh T. Minh-ha. Elsewhere, Within Here.
- We will also watch several short films, and I will post articles on Blackboard for you to read. In addition, I expect you to spend time and energy reading your colleagues' workshop drafts.
Other Resources:
* = on Blackboard
- Ben Jelloun, Tahar. The Sand Child.
- Hawley, John, ed. Postcolonial Queer: Theoretical Intersections.
- Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. "Under Western Eye: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourse." *
- Said, Edward. Introduction to Orientalism. *
- Trinh T. Minh-ha. "Not You/Like You: Postcolonial Women and the Interlocking Questions of Identity and Difference." *
- Trinh T. Minh-ha. Woman, Native, Other: Writing Postcoloniality and Feminism.
Grade Distribution:
- Final Portfolio .........................................................50%
- Other Assignments....................................................50%
- Extra Credit Assignments: these assignments give you the opportunity to earn additional points toward the grade for "Other Assignments" above; they are optional..
- Due to the highly interactive nature of this course and the emphasis on workshops, group work, and class discussions, I expect you to attend all class meetings and to be on time. You may miss four class meetings without penalty. If you miss more than four class meetings, I will lower your final course grade by 1/3 grade for each additional absence. Two tardies (arriving late or leaving early) count as one absence. I will also mark you tardy if you are unprepared for class.
Major Assignments:
- Final Portfolio: Your final portfolio consists of a table of contents, your Ethnography, your two strongest responses to colleagues' workshop drafts, and a new revision of your Literature Essay or your Theory Essay. You must have received credit for both the Literature Essay and the Theory Essay in order to submit a portfolio. I will post detailed prompts for the Literature Essay, Theory Essay, Ethnography, and workshop responses on Blackboard. You'll post your portfolio as a Word or pdf document on Blackboard.
- Other Assignments: These include reading responses, responses to colleagues' posts, drafts of your assignments, feedback on colleagues' drafts, facilitating a whole-class workshop, and other in-class activities, and are designed to help you work toward successfully completing your Literature Essay, Theory Essay, and Ethnography. I grade these assignments on a credit/no credit basis. In class we will discuss the criteria for earning credit on these assignments. You cannot make up a missed in-class assignment. You must submit out of class assignments on time in order to earn full credit for them. All assignments are submitted on Blackboard.
- Citation of Sources: Plagiarism is a contested and context-specific topic. We will discuss effective ways of using sources and issues around plagiarism in class.
- Email Protocol: I acknowledge all email messages within 48 hours. If you email me but don’t get a response, I haven’t received your email. Feel free to email me concerning any questions you have about the course or about your work. Do not email your work to me for feedback; I’d be happy to discuss your work with you in person. It’s important to practice composing professional emails: be sure that your emails to me include appropriate subject lines, salutations, and closes.
- Classroom Dynamics: I do not spend much time lecturing and expect you to participate vigorously in the many discussions around which the course is organized. We all teach and learn in this course--I do not believe in a one-way transmission of “knowledge” from instructor to students. I don’t have all the answers, and I look forward to learning as much as teaching in this course. You should direct your questions and comments in class to your colleagues as much as to me. I encourage you to talk in class.
- Diversity: Chapman University is committed to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Students and professors are reminded to show respect at all times as outlined in Chapman's Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Any violations of this policy should be discussed with the professor, the Dean of Students, and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy. Click here to read Chapman University's Statement on Diversity.
- Students With Disabilities: Please see me early in the semester if you have a documented disability, so that we can discuss what accommodations, if any, I might make to help you to succeed in this class. Click here to read Chapman University's Policy Statement for Assisting Students with Disabilities.
tentative schedule
Readings marked * are on Blackboard
2/3/2014
2/5/2014
2/12/2014
2/17/2014
2/19/2014
2/26/2014
3/3/2014
3/5/2014
3/10/2014
3/12/2014
3/17/2014
3/19/2014
3/31/2014
4/2/2014
4/7/2014
4/14/2014
4/16/2014
4/21/2014
4/23/2014
4/28/2014
4/30/2014
5/5/2014
5/7/2014
5/12/2014
5/14/2014
2/3/2014
- In-Class Activities: introduction to the course; watch and discuss Danger of a Single Story; introduction to Mornings in Jenin
- Homework Assignments for 2/5: read Abulhawa up to p. 52
2/5/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; discuss criteria for Blackboard posts; class member introductions
- Homework Assignments: read Abulhawa 55-164; Blackboard post #1 due by 2 p.m. on 2/9; respond to at least two colleagues' Blackboard posts by 2 p.m. on 2/10 (see prompt on Blackboard)
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading and Blackboard posts
- Homework Assignments: read Abulhawa 169-241
2/12/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading
- Homework Assignments: read Abulhawa 245-325; Blackboard post #2 due by 2 p.m. on 2/17; respond to at least two colleagues' Blackboard posts by 2 p.m. on 2/18
2/17/2014
- In-Class Activities: special guest, Professor Harriet Malinowitz
- Homework Assignments: attend Professor Malinowitz's lecture at 4:30-6 p.m. today in BK 401 (extra credit assignment: 1 extra point for attending, 2 extra points if you ask a question); read Achebe Chapters 1-5
2/19/2014
- In-Class Activities: introduction to Things Fall Apart; discuss reading
- Homework Assignments: read Achebe Chapters 6-13; Blackboard post #3 due by 2 p.m. on 2/23; respond to at least two colleagues' Blackboard posts by 2 p.m. on 2/24
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading and Blackboard posts
- Homework Assignments: read Achebe Chapters 14-19
2/26/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading
- Homework Assignments: read Achebe Chapters 20-25; Blackboard post #4 due by 2 p.m. on 2/3; respond to at least two colleagues' Blackboard posts by 2 p.m. on 3/3
3/3/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading and Blackboard posts; assign Literature Essay; draw workshop dates; introduction to Coetzee
- Homework Assignments: read Coetzee Sections I and II
3/5/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; discuss workshop guidelines
- Homework Assignments: read Coetzee Sections III and IV; bring your laptop to class
3/10/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; continue discussion of workshop guidelines; discuss sample workshop responses; sign up to facilitate a workshop
- Homework Assignments: if you have a workshop on 3/12, post your essay draft on Blackboard by 11:59 p.m. on 3/10; post responses to drafts on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 3/12 (follow guidelines for responses); bring your laptop to class or printouts of the essay drafts and your responses
3/12/2014
- In-Class Activities: whole-class workshops
- Homework Assignments: if you have a workshop on 3/17, post your essay draft on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 3/15; post responses to drafts on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 3/17 (follow guidelines for responses); bring your laptop to class or printouts of the essay drafts and your responses
3/17/2014
- In-Class Activities: whole-class workshops; mid-semester course evaluations
- Homework Assignments: post your revised Literature Essay on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 3/31
- Extra Credit Homework Assignment: watch the film Paradise Now; post your 250-500 word review on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 3/31 (compare the film with Mornings in Jenin in your review)
3/19/2014
- No Class--work on your Literature Essay
3/31/2014
- In-Class Activities: watch and discuss Reassemblage
- Homework Assignments: read Alcoff, "The Problem of Speaking for Others" *; Trinh, "Reassemblage: Sketch of Sound Track" * (optional); Trinh, "Interview with Trinh T. Minh-ha" * (optional)
4/2/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss mid-semester evaluations; discuss readings; assign Theory Essay
Homework Assignments: read Trinh, Part I of Elsewhere, Within Here; Trinh, "Voice Over I" in Elsewhere, Within Here (optional)
4/7/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings; Literature Essay debrief
- Homework Assignments: read Trinh, "An Acoustic Journey," "White Spring" (in Elsewhere, Within Here); Trinh, "Detroit: Incarcerated and Disappeared in the Land of the Free" (optional); Blackboard post #5 due by 2 p.m. on 4/9
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; introduction to Smith
- Homework Assignments: read Smith Foreword, Introduction, Chapters 1-3 (Chapters 4-5 optional); respond to at least two colleagues' Blackboard posts by 2 p.m. on 4/10
4/14/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading
- Homework Assignments: read Smith Chapters 8, 10-12, Conclusion (Chapters 6, 7, 9 optional)
4/16/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading
- Homework Assignments: if you have a workshop on 4/21, post your essay draft on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 4/19; post responses to drafts on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 4/21 (follow guidelines for responses); bring your laptop to class or printouts of the essay drafts and your responses
4/21/2014
- In-Class Activities: whole-class workshops
- Homework Assignments: if you have a workshop on 4/23, post your essay draft on Blackboard by 11:59 p.m. on 4/21; post responses to drafts on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 4/23 (follow guidelines for responses); bring your laptop to class or printouts of the essay drafts and your responses
4/23/2014
- In-Class Activities: whole-class workshops; assign Ethnography
- Homework Assignments: read Fieldworking Chapter 1 *
4/28/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; work on Ethnography
- Homework Assignments: post your revised Theory Essay on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 4/30
4/30/2014
- In-Class Activities: watch and discuss The Couple in the Cage; work on Ethnography
- Homework Assignments: read Fieldworking Chapter 5 *
5/5/2014
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; work on Ethnography
- Homework Assignments: reading Gomez-Pena, "The Multicultural Paradigm: An Open Letter to the National Arts Community" *; work on your Ethnography
5/7/2014
- In-Class Activities: work on Ethnography; discuss reading; debrief Theory Essays; discuss Final Portfolios
- Homework Assignments: if you have a workshop on 5/12, post your draft or a link to it on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 5/10; post responses to drafts on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 5/12 (follow guidelines for responses); bring your laptop to class or printouts of the essay drafts and your responses
5/12/2014
- In-Class Activities: whole-class workshops; course wrap-up
- Homework Assignments: if you have a workshop on 5/14, post your draft or a link to it on Blackboard by 11:59 p.m. on 5/12; post responses to drafts on Blackboard by 2 p.m. on 5/14 (follow guidelines for responses); bring your laptop to class or printouts of the essay drafts and your responses
5/14/2014
- In-Class Activities: course evaluations; whole-class workshops
- Homework Assignments: post your Final Portfolio on Blackboard by 4 p.m. on 5/21
My thanks to Alicia Kozameh, Harriet Malinowitz, Marcy Jane Knopf-Newman, Aneil Rallin, Justine Van Meter, and Nicole Warwick for providing me with ideas and resources for this syllabus.