SYLLABUS FOR GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE AMERICAS
Term: Summer, 2006 (20053)
Course Number: ENG 233X
Instructor: Dr. Valerie Pennanen
E-mail: finnfriends@att.net
Home Phone: (219) 937-0341
Office Hours: by appointment
Instructor Background: B.A., Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Greek (Bryn Mawr College); M.A. and Ph.D, Classical Art and Archaeology (The University of Michigan); teaching experience in classics, art history, art appreciation, liberal studies, and world literature.
Course Time: Thursday, 6:30 – 10 P.M.
Course Description: This course traces the development and interconnections of major civilizations on the American continents. It explores pre-Columbian and Native American cultures, the effect of European colonization, and the evolution of nations through modern times. This course utilizes primary texts and literary readings which reflect the cultural and historical activities of their times.
Learning Outcomes/ Competencies:
Students in this course will:
· Write a confident, well organized essay that is reflective, analytic, and evaluative.
· Listen attentively to the opinions and ideas of teachers, authors and leaders with an open but critical mind.
· Analyze these ideas with careful and coherent observations, judgments, and communications.
· Make careful analyses of academic ideas, papers, themes, positions, art forms, and the elements that contribute to their eminence.
· Synthesize materials, ideas and themes.
Materials:
1) Course pack (to be distributed at our first class meeting). ALWAYS BRING YOUR COURSE PACK TO EACH AND EVERY CLASS!
2) YOUR OWN, SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES (VERY IMPORTANT!). Please be aware that it is absolutely crucial to take notes at every class meeting. Some students may find it helpful to write at least some of their notes directly into the course pack (i.e. in the margins and on the backs of the pages); other students may prefer to use separate sheets of notebook paper. Use whatever system works best for you.
3) Internet resources. (NOTE: Links to these will be provided on the CCSJ Global Perspectives web page. Please note that when a reading is assigned on the Internet, it is your responsibility both to read it AND to bring a printout to class, just as you would bring a textbook.)
4) Additional textbooks available in Room 305 (multiple copies). These books may sometimes be used during a class session and may also be “checked out,” when necessary and with the instructor’s permission, for one week at a time.
Learning Strategies: Lectures, class discussions, individual research and writing projects.
Assessment:
Quizzes (7) 35 % of grade
Homework essays (3) 30% of grade
Term paper 20 % of grade
Class participation throughout semester 10 % of grade
Class participation on July 27 (when students 5% of grade
will share information and insights
from their term paper research)
Class Policy for Assignments: If a student misses a quiz or essay deadline, he/she must contact the instructor BEFORE the next class meeting to arrange for a make-up or to request an extension. Make-ups and extensions will be granted ONLY in case of illness or family emergency. PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO ACCEPT ANY LATE TERM PAPERS.
Grading Scale:
A: 93-100 A-: 90-92 B+: 87-89 B: 83-86 B-: 80-82 C+: 77-79
C: 73-76 C-: 70-72 D+: 67-69 D: 63-66 D-: 60-62 F: 59 & below
Class Policy on Attendance: Regular attendance is crucial to your success in this class. If you miss more than nine (9) hours of class, you will automatically receive a failing grade.
Classroom Policy on Electronic Devices: Tape recording of lectures is permitted, although not encouraged. Please turn off all cell phones (or put them on “vibrate”) before entering class.
Course Outline:
Class Dates: Topics/Assignments:
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Session 1 (May 11) |
Welcome and introduction. The Olmecs. The Maya. Highlights from the great Mayan epic, Popol Vuh. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 1, using class notes, course pack and supplementary Internet resources. |
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Session 2 (May 18) |
QUIZ # 1. Great early cultures in the Valley of Mexico. Important early cultures in the Andes mountain region. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 2, using class notes, course pack and supplementary Internet resources; ALSO, read take-home handout on Quetzalcoatl’s hero journey. |
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Session 3 (May 25) |
QUIZ # 2. The Aztecs (including literature). The Incas and their empire. HOMEWORK: Prepare Essay # 1. |
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Session 4 (June 1) |
ESSAY # 1 DUE. The birth of Iberian empires in the New World. The Columbian exchange. An introduction to the life and writings of Sor Juana, the “Mexican Shakespeare.” HOMEWORK: Prepare Essay # 2; ALSO, choose your term paper topic. |
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Session 5 (June 8) |
ESSAY # 2 DUE; TERM PAPER TOPIC ALSO DUE. An introduction to Native North American cultures. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 3, using class notes and course pack; ALSO, read Michael Wigglesworth’s poem “The Day of Doom” (available online; please be sure to bring a printout of this poem to our next class meeting). |
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Session 6 (June 15) |
QUIZ # 3. Highlights of North American colonial literature: Ann Bradstreet, Michael Wigglesworth, and Phillis Wheatley. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 4, using class notes and course pack; ALSO, read take-home handout with American Declaration of Independence. |
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Session 7 (June 22) |
QUIZ # 4. The American Revolution. Viewing and discussion of video, “Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West.” HOMEWORK: Prepare Essay # 3; ALSO, read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “The Birthmark” (available online; please bring a printout of this story to our next class meeting). |
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Session 8 (June 29) |
ESSAY # 3 DUE. The United States in the early to mid-19th century. The War of 1812; westward expansion, as reflected in the letters of Narcissa Whitman; the immigrant experience; the slave experience, as recorded in the autobiography of Frederick Douglass; the “self-made man” experience; the lives of factory workers; the career of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, feminist; highlights of fine arts and literature, including Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark.” HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 5, using class notes and course pack. |
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Session 9 (July 6) |
QUIZ # 5. More freedom fights in the New World: the stories of Haitian, Mexican, and Latin American independence. The American Civil War. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 6; ALSO, read Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” Mark Twain’s “The Story of a Bad Boy Who Didn’t Come to Grief,” and Mark Twain’s “My First Lie, and How I Got Out of It” (all available online; please bring printouts of these three texts to our next class meeting). |
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Session 10 (July 13) |
QUIZ # 6. Highlights of later 19th-century U.S. literature: Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Mark Twain. The United States from Reconstruction times through the eve of World War I. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 7; ALSO, read the diary of Sergeant Alvin C. York (available online; please bring a printout of this text to our next class meeting). |
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Session 11 (July 20) |
QUIZ # 7. The United States in World War I, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and World War II. HOMEWORK: Prepare term paper. |
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Session 12 (July 27) |
TERM PAPER DUE. FINAL DISCUSSION, WITH REQUIRED PARTICIPATION BY ALL CLASS MEMBERS. |
Class Participation: As noted above, class participation accounts for 15% of your course grade. To receive an “A” in class participation, you need to:
§ Attend class regularly
§ Arrive promptly and stay the full length of each session
§ Show genuine interest in the material
§ Ask thoughtful questions
§ Contribute intelligently to class discussions, especially at the close of the term, when each student will be expected to share highlights of his / her term paper research
Classroom Decorum: Please be considerate and respectful towards your fellow students and towards the instructor. Any student who deliberately disrupts a class will be asked to leave and will be marked absent for the entire session.
Center for Academic Excellence:
Tutoring assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph. Call the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), to make an appointment at 473-4287. The Center has experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who are struggling in a course or who are doing well and would like to do better. Regular weekly tutoring sessions are likely to improve your grade.
Statement of Plagiarism:
If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances. (Academic Planner 2001/2002 p.27) Please be aware that your paper may be submitted for examination for plagiarism to Turnitin.com, a plagiarism-check Internet company with which the college has contracted.
Citation Guidelines:
Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.). All of these guidelines are available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore. These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media.
Withdrawal from Classes Policy:
After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for withdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the final examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree Completion Division (DCD) students should consult the DCD Student Handbook for information on DCD withdrawals.
An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript. Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an "F" grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).