SYLLABUS FOR GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE AMERICAS
Term: Fall, 2006 (20061)
Course Number: ENG 233A
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: Tuesday and Friday, 10:30 A.M. – 12 NOON
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).
2) Your own class notes (VERY important!).
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 (6) 30 % of grade
Homework essays (4) 40% of grade
Term paper 20 % of grade
Class participation 10 % of grade
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.
Class Policy on Electronic Devices: If you feel that you absolutely must carry a cell phone, beeper or paging device, please speak with the instructor before class.
Course Outline:
Class Dates: Topics/Assignments:
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Session 1a (August 29) |
Welcome and introduction. |
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Session 1b (September 1) |
The Olmecs. HOMEWORK: Review the Olmecs, using class notes, course pack and supplementary Internet materials. |
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Session 2a (September 5) |
The Maya. HOMEWORK: Review the Maya, using class notes, course pack and supplementary Internet materials. |
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Session 2b (September 8) |
Highlights from the great Mayan epic, Popol Vuh. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 1. |
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Session 3a (September 12) |
QUIZ # 1. Great early cultures in the Valley of Mexico. HOMEWORK: Review today’s material, using class notes, course pack and supplementary Internet materials. |
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Session 3b (September 15) |
Important early cultures in the Andes mountain region. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 2. |
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Session 4a (September 19) |
QUIZ # 2. The Aztecs. HOMEWORK: Read take-home handout on Quetzalcoatl’s hero journey. |
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Session 4b (September 22) |
The Aztecs, continued. |
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Session 5a (September 26) |
The Incas and their empire. HOMEWORK: Prepare Essay # 1. |
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Session 5b (September 29) |
ESSAY # 1 DUE. The birth of Iberian empires in the New World. |
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Session 6a (October 3) |
An introduction to the life and writings of Sor Juana, the “Mexican Shakespeare.” The Columbian exchange. HOMEWORK: Prepare Essay # 2; also, choose your term paper topic. |
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Session 6b (October 6) |
ESSAY # 2 DUE; TERM PAPER TOPIC ALSO DUE. An introduction to Native North American cultures. |
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Session 7a (October 10) |
Native North American cultures, continued. |
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Session 7b (October 13) |
Native North American cultures, continued. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 3. |
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Session 8a (October 17) |
QUIZ # 3. An introduction to the colonial period in North America. HOMEWORK: 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 8b (October 20) |
Highlights of North American colonial literature: Ann Bradstreet, Michael Wigglesworth, and Phillis Wheatley. HOMEWORK: Prepare Essay # 3; also, read take-home handout with the American Declaration of Independence. |
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Session 9a (October 24) |
ESSAY # 3 DUE. The American Revolution. |
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Session 9b (October 27) |
Viewing and discussion of video, “Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West.” HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 4. |
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Session 10a (October 31) |
QUIZ # 4. The United States in the early to mid-19th century: the War of 1812; westward expansion; the letters of Narcissa Whitman, missionary and pioneer; the immigrant experience. |
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Session 10b (November 3) |
The U.S. in the early to mid-19th-century, continued: the slave experience, as recorded by Frederick Douglass; the career of William Butler Ogden, Chicago’s first mayor. HOMEWORK: 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 11a (November 7) |
The U.S. in the early to mid-19th century, continued: the lives of factory workers; the career of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, feminist; highlights of mid-19th century fine arts and literature. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 5. |
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Session 11b (November 10) |
QUIZ # 5. More freedom fights in the New World: stories of Haitian, Mexican, and Latin American independence. HOMEWORK: Review today’s material, using class notes, course pack and supplementary Internet resource on Haiti; also, read Internet resource on African-American contributions in the American Civil War. |
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Session 12a (November 14) |
The American Civil War. HOMEWORK: Read the following texts (available online): 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.” Please bring printouts of these three texts to our next class meeting. |
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Session 12b (November 17) |
Highlights of later 19th-century U.S. literature: Emily Dickinson (poems to be introduced in class), Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain. HOMEWORK: Study for Quiz # 6. |
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Session 13a (November 21) |
QUIZ # 6. The U.S. from Reconstruction times through the eve of World War I. HOMEWORK: Read the diary of Sergeant Alvin C. York (available online). Please bring a printout of this diary to our next class meeting. |
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Session 14a (November 28) |
The U.S. in World War I and in the “Roaring Twenties.” HOMEWORK: Prepare Essay # 4. |
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Session 14b (December 1) |
ESSAY # 4 DUE. The U.S. in World War II. BEGINNING OF FINAL, IN-CLASS DISCUSSION, WITH REQUIRED PARTICIPATION BY ALL CLASS MEMBERS. HOMEWORK: Complete work on term paper. |
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Session 15 (December 5 0R 8—exam week) |
TERM PAPER DUE ON DECEMBER 5! CLOSING IN-CLASS DISCUSSION, WITH REQUIRED PARTICIPATION BY ALL CLASS MEMBERS, WILL TAKE PLACE ON EITHER DECEMBER 5 OR DECEMBER 8, DEPENDING ON WHICH DATE THE COLLEGE SCHEDULES FOR OUR EXAM-WEEK SESSION. |
Class Participation: As noted above, class participation accounts for 10% 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 invited 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).